GOP Senator Thom Tillis threatens to block Todd Blanche AG nomination unless he meets with Epstein survivors

Jul 16, 2026

Outgoing Republican Senator Thom Tillis is threatening to block the nomination of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche unless Blanche meets directly with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse. With the Senate Judiciary Committee narrowly divided 11-10 following the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, a single Republican defection would sink the nomination. While Blanche apologized for exposing survivors' names in botched DOJ document redactions, survivor Dani Bensky testified that Blanche has ignored their meeting requests for eight months, prompting a scramble to arrange a meeting before the committee votes on July 30, 2026.

Tillis blocks Blanche nomination

▪United States Senator Thom Tillis stated on July 16, 2026, that he will not vote to advance Todd Blanche's nomination for Attorney General out of the Senate Judiciary Committee until Todd Blanche meets with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse.
▪A single Republican "no" vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee would prevent Todd Blanche's nomination from advancing to the full Senate if all Democrats oppose him.
▪The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Todd Blanche's nomination as Attorney General on July 30, 2026.

Epstein survivors demand meeting

▪Jeffrey Epstein survivors rejected an initial July 16, 2026, offer to meet with Alessandra Serano, the national coordinator for child exploitation and human trafficking, insisting on meeting with Todd Blanche directly.
▪Jeffrey Epstein survivor Dani Bensky testified on July 16, 2026, that survivors had requested meetings with Todd Blanche through multiple channels but he had never responded.
▪A Justice Department spokesperson stated on July 16, 2026, that a meeting between Todd Blanche and Jeffrey Epstein survivors had been rescheduled for that afternoon.

DOJ Epstein files redactions

▪Todd Blanche apologized during his confirmation hearing on July 15, 2026, for redaction errors in the release of Jeffrey Epstein files, which left approximately 1% of the documents with mistakes.
▪Jeffrey Epstein survivor Dani Bensky testified that her name was among more than 350 survivors submitted to the Justice Department for redaction before the Epstein files were released in December.

Anti-weaponization fund opposition

▪Senator John Cornyn expressed concern that the $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, created as part of a settlement over Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, could still be revived.
▪Senator Thom Tillis stated he needs to see a ratified, executed agreement to ensure the $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund is permanently dead before supporting Todd Blanche.

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

▪Former career pardon lawyer Elizabeth Oyer testified on July 16, 2026, that she was fired by Todd Blanche for refusing to restore the gun rights of actor Mel Gibson.
▪The Senate Judiciary Committee is divided between 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats following the death of Senator Lindsey Graham.