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.