Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina made a decision during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, setting conditions for Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general. The senator’s vote is crucial for advancing Blanche’s nomination. Tillis demands that Blanche meet with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse to earn his support.
For months, Epstein survivors have tried without success to meet Blanche, who currently serves as acting attorney general. While Tillis has spoken positively about Blanche’s nomination, he established a new requirement related to the Epstein case, an issue weighing heavily on President Trump and the Justice Department.
If all Democrats on the Judiciary Committee oppose Blanche, a single Republican dissent could block the nomination. Tillis has made similar threats in the past but often relents when casting his final vote. During Wednesday’s hearing, Blanche was questioned about the Epstein case. He expressed uncertainty about meeting survivors, stating it would require their lawyer’s presence and offered an aide to meet them instead.
Tillis emphasized the need for a direct meeting before he would vote to support Blanche’s nomination. He stated Blanche has about two weeks to arrange this meeting before the panel votes. Tillis aims to approve Blanche’s nomination but considers the meeting with survivors crucial.
Senators interrogated Blanche about his involvement with Epstein, especially his decision to interview Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell for two days, leading to her transfer to a more lenient prison camp. Observers claim such a transfer breaches agency policy.
Reporting contributions came from Karoun Demirjian. Devlin Barrett covers the Justice Department and the FBI for The Times.