Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to lead the Justice Department hinges on a demand from Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina that Blanche meet with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. Multiple outlets report that Tillis ties his support—needed to move the nomination out of the Senate Judiciary Committee—to Blanche sitting down with Epstein survivors before Tillis will vote to advance the nomination. Tillis makes the condition during Senate Judiciary Committee proceedings, and he says he has a positive predisposition toward Blanche but is not willing to commit to a committee vote without the meeting. Several reports also describe the meeting as occurring soon after Tillis’s ultimatum, with DOJ sources indicating Blanche meets with survivors Thursday afternoon. Other coverage notes that Epstein-related controversy continues to shape the nomination discussion and that survivors and advocates have pressed Blanche to engage directly with victims. While outlets agree on Tillis’s requirement and the central role it plays in the nomination timeline, they differ in emphasis on how the condition could affect whether Blanche can secure sufficient Republican support to progress the nomination.
Sen. Thom Tillis requires Todd Blanche to meet Epstein survivors before advancing AG nomination
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to lead the Justice Department hinges on a demand from Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina that Blanche meet with survivors of Jeffrey Epste...
- Sen. Thom Tillis says he will not support advancing Todd Blanche’s attorney general nomination unless Blanche meets with Epstein survivors.
- Tillis makes the requirement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Blanche’s nomination.
- Reports indicate the requested meeting with Epstein survivors takes place shortly after Tillis’s ultimatum.
- Survivors and advocates have publicly urged Tillis and Blanche to address concerns about Blanche’s engagement regarding Epstein-related abuse and investigations.
- Because Tillis’s vote is part of the committee process, his stance is portrayed as potentially affecting whether the nomination advances.
It appears that two outgoing Republican senators are prepared to tank the nomination of Todd Blanche for attorney general. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn, who hold Blanche’s future in their hands, are particularly concerned with the status of President Trump’s $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” a controversial move to provide financial assistance to anyone who feels they’ve been attacked for supporting the president. Cornyn noted in Blanche’s most recent confirmation hearing that even though Blanche claimed the fund was dead, there was no written agreement to actually kill it. Now, he’s demanding it in writing.“What I want is the written document to say the same thing he did in his sworn testimony in front of the Judiciary Committee, and, as you recall, what he said is the weaponization fund is dead. He said the audit immunity basically doesn’t extend to parties beyond the lawsuit, and it doesn’t also extend to future actions by federal agencies other than the IRS,” Cornyn said on Monday. “That’s what we’re trying to get them to agree to, which is again what his sworn testimony was. So I don’t know why they’re—I don’t know why they’re so reluctant to do that when he’s already sworn to it.”Tillis, too, said he wants changes to the settlement agreement with the IRS, which created the $1.776 billion slush fund and gave the Trump family immunity from future IRS audits. Tillis previously threatened to block Blanche’s nomination unless he met with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein. Blanche did so earlier this month, but survivors said the meeting was “demoralizing,” as Blanche continued to avoid answering their questions. “It just felt like more political posturing and using survivors the way that we’ve been used as political pawns,” Epstein survivor and anti-human trafficking educator Elizabeth Stein said at the time.Cornyn and Tillis’s “no” votes would effectively kill Blanche’s nomination, as he needs the support of all 11 Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to move forward. As of right now, it looks like he won’t get it. The Senate Judiciary is planning to vote to advance fBlanche’s nomination on Thursday.
1 month agoTwo dozen survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's alleged abuse are again urging GOP Sens. Tillis and Cornyn to vote against confirming Todd Blanche as AG.
1 month agoA group of women victimized by Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring urged Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn to vote against Todd Blanche's nomination to serve as attorney general.
1 month agoActing Attorney General Todd Blanche met with accusers of Jeffrey Epstein following a demand to do so by a Republican senator whose support is crucial to advancing his nomination to lead the Justice Department.
1 month agoActing Attorney General Todd Blanche will meet Thursday afternoon with survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, following pressure from lawmakers during hearings on Capitol Hill this week. A Department of Justice (DOJ) source familiar with the meeting told The Hill’s broadcast partner, NewsNation, that Blanche will meet with these survivors at the DOJ’s...
1 month agoSen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., wants Todd Blanche to meet with victims of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before committing his support for the nomination.
1 month ago
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