Sen. Thom Tillis' demand that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche meet with Jeffrey Epstein survivors or risk losing his confirmation vote signals a dark turn in his confirmation process, a political analyst argued Friday.
Podcaster and CNN analyst Luke Thomas argued Tillis had done the bare minimum to hold President Donald Trump's problematic nominee to account.
"This is a small hurdle to put in front of a guy who is manifestly unqualified," Thomas said. "If you really had genuine antipathy for the president's agenda, in any kind of real way, that's not a real hurdle."
Blanche faced a backlash during this week's confirmation hearings in the Senate after Epstein survivors condemned him for meeting Epstein's convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, but not them.
When Tillis ordered him to "do it," Blanche rushed to follow orders and meet with survivors, Politico reported. Sources told the news outlet the meeting did not go well.
“Unfortunately, Todd Blanche treated the meeting as a mere ‘check-the-box’ exercise intended to secure votes for his confirmation,” Danielle Bensky said in a statement.
“He danced around his wording, repeatedly interrupted us and could not commit to anything that would demonstrate good faith."
Thomas on Friday predicted Tillis would ultimately vote to confirm Blanche in the position — even after a slip that saw the acting attorney general refer to himself as Trump's lawyer.
"That's not a real hurdle," Thomas said. "And [Blanche] clearing it wouldn't mean anything to begin with. So I'm of the belief that ultimately they're going to fold."
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