Tillis withholds Blanche vote until AG pick meets Epstein survivors

Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Thursday he will not vote to confirm acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to the permanent role until Blanche meets with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse.

Why it matters: Even a single Republican "no" vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee would prevent Blanche's nomination from advancing to a confirmation vote before the full Senate.

What they're saying: "I have not made a final decision, but Mr. Blanche said very quickly yesterday that he would meet with the Epstein victims today if it could be arranged," Tillis said during Thursday's committee hearing.

• "[I]t seemed to me that Mr. Blanche was willing to say that he would meet with them — and counsel — I understand the restriction that counsel has to be present, 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. There should not be any reason why based on what Mr. Blanche said yesterday, if he said that he would do it today, then he can certainly do it over the next two weeks."

Go deeper: Blanche sidesteps questions on federal agents at polls