Senator Thom Tillis had indicated during Blanche's confirmation hearing on Wednesday he was leaning toward backing Blanche, who has been leading the department in an acting capacity since April.
But after an Epstein accuser testified a day later, Tillis said he expects a meeting to occur before he's "willing to vote out of this committee".
Shortly after Tillis' remarks, Blanche — who had been meeting with senators on Capitol Hill — told reporters he had tried to meet the Epstein accusers in a Senate office building but "it didn't work out" and they were working to coordinate schedules.
The Justice Department later said the meeting was rescheduled for Thursday afternoon, adding: "He looks forward to their discussion."
"The Department of Justice will always meet with victims or their representatives, and if those victims or their representatives have evidence that anybody committed a crime — whether it has to do with Jeffrey Epstein or anybody else — we will of course move forward and investigate and prosecute," Blanche told reporters.
Epstein's case and the Justice Department's handling of millions of files related to his sex trafficking investigation have been a persistent political headache for the Trump administration.
After missteps by then-attorney general Pam Bondi that enraged Trump's base, Blanche as deputy attorney general oversaw a massive review and release of millions of files related to the investigation into the disgraced financier with connections to wealthy and powerful people.
One Epstein accuser, Dani Bensky, told lawmakers earlier on Thursday that women harmed by Epstein repeatedly asked to meet with Blanche "through multiple channels and he never responded".
"We deserve to be heard directly, not dismissed and ignored," she said.
Blanche has pushed back on suggestions that the Justice Department has been dismissive of the late financier's accusers, saying Wednesday that officials have spoken with more than 30 representatives of the women over the course of its sweeping review of the files.
Blanche has also defended the department's staggered release of the Epstein files, a process beset by problems, including redaction errors that left exposed nude photos showing the faces of potential victims.
The political firestorm over the Epstein files dogged the Trump administration for much of 2025 with lawmakers eventually passing a measure that compelled the release of a massive trove of documents in the government's possession related to its investigation.
The Justice Department began releasing the documents in late December, which included photos, call logs, grand jury testimony and interview transcripts.
The release did little to tamp down scepticism from conspiracy theorists and online sleuths, who have long pushed allegations of a government cover-up, without evidence.
