Tillis Says He Won't Vote to Advance Blanche as AG Until He Meets Epstein Survivors

Thom Tillis just handed Todd Blanche a real problem.

The North Carolina Republican told the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday he won't vote to advance Blanche's nomination for attorney general until Blanche actually meets with Jeffrey Epstein's victims. Not promises. Not vague commitments through lawyers. An actual meeting.

"I have not made a final decision," Tillis said, according to Forbes. "Todd Blanche said he'd meet with the Epstein survivors if it could be arranged. I expect that meeting to occur before I'm willing to vote him out of committee. There should be no reason why he wouldn't."

That's a direct callback to Wednesday's hearing, where Blanche told lawmakers he'd meet with survivors "today" if he could. One day later, Epstein victim Dani Bensky testified the group still hadn't heard a word from the Justice Department about setting anything up, according to both Forbes and Reuters (via KELO).

The Math Is Brutal for Blanche

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died July 11. That cut the GOP's Judiciary Committee majority down to 11-10, according to the Washington Examiner. Democrats are expected to vote against Blanche as a bloc. That means Blanche can't lose a single Republican vote and still get out of committee.

Tillis is one of two Republicans currently withholding support. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is the other, and he's raising a separate issue: a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund and a tax-audit immunity deal that emerged from a settlement over a $10 billion lawsuit Trump brought against the IRS, according to Reuters. Blanche told lawmakers the fund was dead but hasn't put that in writing, and Cornyn told Reuters Wednesday he's still not convinced it's actually gone.

So Blanche is fighting a two-front battle: victims who say they've been ignored, and a slush fund nobody can confirm is dead.

What Blanche Actually Said

Blanche didn't refuse to meet with survivors. During Wednesday's hearing, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois pushed him to promise under oath he'd personally meet with 10 Epstein victims within 30 days. Blanche said he was open to it but couldn't contact survivors directly because they're represented by counsel.

"They have lawyers, as you know. I'm prohibited from meeting directly with them," Blanche said, according to the Washington Examiner. "But if they are represented by counsel, we will work with their counsel."

Blanche also said DOJ officials had already been in contact with more than 30 attorneys representing Epstein victims and were ready to arrange something immediately. "I have never said I will not meet with survivors," he said. "When it comes to the victims of this horrible man, we will never, never not talk to victims."

That's a legitimate legal constraint, not an excuse Blanche invented on the spot. Represented parties generally go through counsel. But it doesn't explain why, as Bensky testified Thursday, survivors say the department has been "radio silent" for eight months.

The Underlying Grievance

Epstein victims have said for months they've been shut out of the process entirely, including complaints that some of their names and photos appeared unredacted in the Justice Department's rollout of the Epstein files, according to Reuters. That's the wound Tillis is pressing on. It's not an abstract political demand. It's survivors of Epstein's abuse saying the country's chief law enforcement nominee hasn't bothered to talk to them directly, even as he tells senators under oath that he will.

Whether that's a genuine communication breakdown between DOJ staff and dozens of attorneys, or something closer to stonewalling, isn't something these sources resolve. No evidence here shows Blanche personally blocked a meeting. But it's also true that eight months of silence, followed by a same-day promise to a Senate committee, is not a good look.

What Happens Next

The Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Blanche's confirmation in about two weeks. Tillis set his own deadline: "If he said he could do it today, then he can certainly do it over the next two weeks."

That leaves Blanche a narrow window to arrange a meeting with survivors' counsel, satisfy Tillis, and separately convince Cornyn the $1.8 billion fund is actually dead and not just paused. If either senator votes no and Democrats hold their line, Blanche's nomination doesn't leave committee. The Justice Department has not responded to requests for comment on any of this.