Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced on Thursday that he will withhold his vote to advance Todd Blanche's nomination to be attorney general until Blanche meets with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and their attorneys.
During the second day of Blanche's confirmation hearing, Tillis said the requested meeting must take place before he will consider voting the nomination out of committee. "I expect that meeting to occur before I’m willing to vote out of this committee," he said. "I’m trying to get to yes, but this is a very important part of getting yes."
The senator's stance is significant because Blanche may not be able to advance from the Judiciary Committee without Tillis's support. Tillis is described as one of two pivotal Republican senators whose opposition could stall or block the nomination. Democrats on the committee have indicated they will oppose Blanche unanimously, meaning the acting attorney general cannot afford to lose the backing of any Republican lawmaker if he hopes to be reported favorably by the committee.
Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have said they asked for meetings with Blanche for months but have received no response. At his hearing on Wednesday, Blanche told senators that a deputy could meet with lawyers for Epstein survivors as soon as "today," but that he himself could not meet directly with them.
On Thursday one of those survivors, Dani Bensky, testified that the group had not yet been contacted by the Justice Department about a potential meeting. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the matter.
The opening day of Blanche's confirmation process featured tough questioning and criticism from Democrats and from some Republicans, focused in part on the Justice Department's handling of files related to Epstein. Lawmakers faulted the rollout of those files because some victims' names and photographs were left unredacted.
Senators also pressed Blanche on an agreement that would create a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund and a companion resolution that would provide broad tax-audit immunity to President Trump and associates. Both elements grew out of a settlement tied to a $10 billion lawsuit the president filed against the Internal Revenue Service.
Those elements of the settlement provoked bipartisan criticism, with lawmakers saying the fund and the immunity resolution appeared aimed at benefiting the president and his allies. Under pressure, Blanche told senators the fund was dead, but he has not formally terminated it in writing. Republican Senator John Cornyn said on Wednesday he remained undecided about how to vote because he was not convinced the fund had truly been abandoned.
The combination of concerns over the handling of sensitive files and unresolved questions about the settlement provisions has left Blanche's path to confirmation uncertain, with his ability to secure at least one Republican vote in committee a crucial hinge.