{"id":2630683,"date":"2026-07-16T13:43:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T17:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thom-tillis-conditions-blanche-vote-on-meeting-with-epstein-victims\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T13:43:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T17:43:57","slug":"thom-tillis-conditions-blanche-vote-on-meeting-with-epstein-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thom-tillis-conditions-blanche-vote-on-meeting-with-epstein-victims\/","title":{"rendered":"Thom Tillis conditions Blanche vote on meeting with Epstein victims"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthom-tillis-conditions-blanche-vote-on-meeting-with-epstein-victims%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2630683&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced he will not support Todd blanche&#8217;s nomination for attorney general unless Blanche agrees to meet with women who allege they were abused as minors by Jeffrey Epstein. Tillis emphasized that this meeting should happen before he is willing to advance Blanche\u2019s confirmation. Teh nomination faces a narrow path through the Senate Judiciary Committee, with Republicans holding a slight majority and Democrats expected to oppose. Tillis&#8217;s stance may delay the process, as his support is crucial. Other Republicans,like Senator John Cornyn,are also hesitant,with Cornyn expressing support for the meeting but not committing to voting yes yet. Blanche indicated he is open to meeting with Epstein victims but can only do so through their attorneys,and he has spoken with numerous victims&#8217; lawyers. He denied any reluctance to meet with victims and rejected accusations of mishandling Epstein-related information by the Trump governance. The confirmation hearings highlight the importance of a meeting with Epstein\u2019s survivors for Blanche\u2019s support among some Senate Republicans.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/thom-tillis\/\">Thom Tillis<\/a> (R-NC) said Thursday that he will not support <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/todd-blanche\/\">Todd Blanche<\/a> for attorney general unless President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> nominee first meets with women who say the late convicted sex offender <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jeffrey-epstein\/\">Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> abused them as minors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tillis announced his position during the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4650062\/five-takeaways-todd-blanche-hearing\/\">second day<\/a> of the acting attorney general\u2019s confirmation hearing before the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate-judiciary-committee\/\">Senate Judiciary Committee<\/a>, saying the meeting must occur before he is prepared to advance the nomination.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4651348\/pennsylvania-fetterman-switch-parties-democrats\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Pennsylvania voters want Fetterman to ditch Democratic Party: Poll<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4651366\/trump-pushing-save-america-act-election-security-christian-datoc\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump couldn\u2019t be \u2018pushing any harder\u2019 on SAVE America Act: Christian Datoc<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4650979\/watch-live-todd-blanche-day-2-attorney-general-confirmation-hearing\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>WATCH LIVE: Todd Blanche back for Day 2 of attorney general confirmation hearings<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 15, 2026.\u00a0 (AP Photo\/Allison Robbert)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/AP26196630264058.jpg6a5918273324b.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Allison Robbert\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have not made a final decision,\u201d Tillis said of whether he will vote to advance Blanche to lead the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Justice Department<\/a>. \u201cTodd Blanche said he\u2019d meet with the Epstein survivors if it could be arranged. I expect that meeting to occur before I\u2019m willing to vote him out of committee. There should be no reason why he wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blanche\u2019s nomination faces an unusually narrow path through the committee. Following the July 11 death of Republican South Carolina Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lindsey-graham\/\">Lindsey Graham<\/a>, Republicans hold an 11-10 advantage. With Democrats expected to oppose Blanche unanimously, a single Republican defection could prevent the nomination from reaching the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/senate\/\" type=\"category\" id=\"84\">Senate<\/a> floor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Democrats remain united, Tillis\u2019s pledge effectively stalls the nomination until Blanche meets with the survivors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m trying to get to yes, but this is a very important part of getting to yes,\u201d Tillis said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-cornyn\/\">John Cornyn<\/a> (R-TX), another pivotal Republican on the committee, has also withheld a final commitment on Blanche\u2019s nomination. Cornyn appeared more receptive to supporting Blanche during Wednesday\u2019s hearing, but did not say how he planned to vote.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\">Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 15, 2026.\u00a0 (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/AP26196576149786.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) speaks during a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 15, 2026.\u00a0(Mark Schiefelbein\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked Thursday about Tillis\u2019s request that Blanche meet with Epstein survivors, Cornyn said, \u201cI think it would be good to do that, yeah,\u201d though he did not say whether his vote hinged on Blanche meeting with victims.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The demand follows a contentious exchange on Wednesday between Blanche and Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/dick-durbin\/\">Dick Durbin<\/a> (D-IL), who asked the nominee to promise under oath that he would personally meet within 30 days 10 Epstein victims attending the hearing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blanche said he was open to such a meeting but could not contact survivors represented by attorneys without going through their counsel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey have lawyers, as you know. I\u2019m prohibited from meeting directly with them,\u201d Blanche said. \u201cBut if they are represented by counsel, we will work with their counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blanche said DOJ officials were prepared to arrange a meeting immediately and had already spoken with more than 30 attorneys representing Epstein victims.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 15, 2026.\u00a0 (AP Photo\/Allison Robbert)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/AP26196630640819.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Allison Robbert\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have never said I will not meet with survivors,\u201d Blanche said. \u201cWhen it comes to the victims of this horrible man, we will never, never not talk to victims.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The nominee also rejected Democratic accusations that the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\">Trump administration<\/a> had mishandled the release of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/epstein-files\/\">Epstein files<\/a> and failed to listen to survivors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4650062\/five-takeaways-todd-blanche-hearing\/\">FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM TODD BLANCHE HEARING AS TRUMP\u2019S ATTORNEY GENERAL PICK GAINS MORE GOP FAVOR<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blanche pointed to the department\u2019s review of more than 6 million pages under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. He acknowledged that some victims\u2019 information had been improperly disclosed but said the department removed or corrected the records after being notified and supplied unredacted copies to members of Congress for oversight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>contacted representatives for the DOJ and the White House.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tillis won\u2019t support Blanche unless he meets Epstein victims<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2630684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26196630264058_a066eb.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[25914,9006,5894,41388],"class_list":["post-2630683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-blanche","tag-epstein","tag-politics","tag-thom-tillis"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26196630264058_a066eb.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2630683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2630683"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2630683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2630686,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2630683\/revisions\/2630686"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2630684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2630683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2630683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2630683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}