Tillis: Blanche meeting with Epstein victims 'a very important part of getting to yes'

Tillis: Blanche meeting with Epstein victims 'a very important part of getting to yes'.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Thursday he would not vote to advance Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general if he does not meet with Epstein survivors who have reached out to the Justice Department. Tillis said he has a "positive predisposition" to Blanche, the acting attorney general who sat for several hours of questions Wednesday during his confirmation hearing.

"I have not made a final decision. But Mr. Blanche said very quickly yesterday that he would meet with the victims, the Epstein victims, today if it could be arranged," Tillis said, noting the Senate Judiciary Committee would be voting on his nomination at their next mark up in two weeks. "I expect that meeting to occur before I'm willing to vote out of this committee, and I'm trying to get to yes. But this is a very important part of getting to yes."

Speaking with reporters Thursday, Tillis said his goal was to make sure the meetings take place. "Look, he's got two weeks. He can get it done. He said he'd meet with them yesterday, so he's got two weeks, and I think he wants to meet with them, genuinely does. I just want to create a forcing mechanism to make sure it happens," he said.

Blanche had faced tough questions from Democrats Wednesday about the Justice Department's handling of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Ten Epstein survivors were in the room, and Judiciary Committee ranking member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) urged Blanche to meet with them. The acting attorney general also faced doubts from another GOP member of the committee, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who said he was not yet sure he would support him. Just one Republican no vote could halt the nomination.