Tillis says Blanche must meet Epstein accusers to earn committee vote

Epstein accuser says Blanche never responded to repeated meeting requests

WASHINGTON — Sen. Thom Tillis said Thursday that his vote to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general hinges on Blanche first meeting with accusers of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a condition that adds a fresh complication to the confirmation process.

Without Tillis’s support, Blanche cannot advance out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The North Carolina senator’s position came a day after Blanche was repeatedly pressed during his confirmation hearing over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation.

Tillis told reporters he has a “positive predisposition” toward Blanche but has not made up his mind. He pointed to Blanche’s remarks Wednesday expressing a willingness to meet Epstein’s accusers and said he expects such a meeting to occur before he is “willing to vote out of this committee.”

Blanche has served as acting attorney general since April, when President Donald Trump removed Pam Bondi and named Blanche to the post. Trump formally nominated Blanche for the permanent role in June.

The Justice Department’s handling of Epstein records has drawn congressional scrutiny over multiple months. In February, a DOJ official played down the prospect of new charges from the release of Epstein-related files. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi testified in May that Blanche was “in charge” of the department’s handling and release of Epstein records.

One Epstein accuser, Dani Bensky, told lawmakers Thursday that women harmed by Epstein had repeatedly asked to meet with Blanche “through multiple channels and he never responded.”

Tillis’s stance represents the latest challenge to Blanche’s confirmation. Other Republicans, including Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), have pressed Blanche over a $1.776 billion settlement fund they said must be “effectively dead” before they would support him. Blanche told senators Wednesday that the fund was dead, but Cornyn said he remained unpersuaded.

Blanche’s two-day confirmation hearing concluded Thursday. The Judiciary Committee has not yet scheduled a vote on his nomination, and Tillis’s condition ensures the path forward remains uncertain.