A pivotal Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee announced Thursday that he will not support moving President Trump’s attorney general nominee, Todd Blanche, out of committee until Blanche sits down directly with Jeffrey Epstein survivors and their legal representatives.
Senator Thom Tillis made the declaration on the second day of Blanche’s confirmation hearing. Because Democrats on the committee have pledged to vote as a bloc against Blanche, his path forward depends on keeping every Republican on board — making Tillis’s support critical.
“I expect that meeting to occur before I’m willing to vote out of this committee,” Tillis stated. “I’m trying to get to yes, but this is a very important part of getting yes.”
Tillis is one of two Republican senators whose votes are considered uncertain. Senator John Cornyn told Reuters on Wednesday that he was still undecided, saying it remained unclear to him whether a controversial $1.8 billion fund had truly been abandoned.
A group of Epstein survivors say they have been requesting meetings with Blanche for months without receiving any response. During Wednesday’s hearing, Blanche suggested a deputy could meet with the survivors’ lawyers as soon as “today,” but said he was unable to meet with them personally.
Survivor Dani Bensky testified Thursday that the group had still not received any communication from the Justice Department regarding a potential meeting. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.
During the first day of the hearing, Blanche — who currently serves as acting attorney general — faced tough questioning from both Democrats and Republicans over how the Justice Department handled the release of Epstein-related files, which left some victims’ names and photographs unredacted.
Lawmakers from both parties also pushed back hard on the creation of the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and a resolution granting Trump and his associates broad immunity from tax audits. Both measures stemmed from a settlement in a $10 billion lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS.
The fund and the tax immunity provision sparked bipartisan anger, with lawmakers arguing the arrangements were designed to financially benefit Trump and his allies. Facing that backlash, Blanche told the committee the fund was dead — but he has since declined to formally cancel it in writing.
