{"id":3233,"date":"2026-07-14T04:33:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T04:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3233"},"modified":"2026-07-14T04:33:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T04:33:29","slug":"as-blanche-hearing-nears-tillis-may-again-decide-the-fate-of-a-bad-trump-nominee-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3233","title":{"rendered":"As Blanche hearing nears, Tillis may again decide the fate of a bad Trump nominee | Opinion"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the U.S. Senate considers Todd Blanche\u2019s nomination for attorney general this week, all eyes will be on one Republican senator in particular: Thom Tillis<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read more Immigration officials arrest one man outside south Charlotte Latino supermarket<\/a><\/p>\n

Blanche will have his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which Tillis is a member. His nomination cannot proceed without the support of every Republican committee member, and Tillis is viewed as a potential holdout.<\/p>\n

As the hearing draws nearer, North Carolina\u2019s senior senator is facing increased pressure to reject Donald Trump\u2019s latest controversial Cabinet nominee. Epstein survivors have taken out a billboard near Charlotte urging a \u201cno\u201d vote on Blanche, who has bungled the Trump administration\u2019s release of the Epstein files. Organizers have flooded his inbox and phone lines<\/u><\/a> asking him to \u201cblock Blanche.\u201d<\/p>\n

In recent months, Tillis has expressed some reservations about Blanche, who served as deputy and now acting attorney general before being nominated to fill the position permanently. One potential sticking point for him has been Jan. 6. Blanche has praised the administration\u2019s mass pardoning of Jan. 6 defendants, sought to vacate the convictions<\/u><\/a> of key Jan. 6 conspirators and fired federal prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases. Tillis initially said<\/u><\/a> that put Blanche \u201cin dangerous waters,\u201d and he made clear that he would not support any Trump nominee who \u201cexpressed any sympathy or support\u201d for Jan. 6 rioters. Blanche is someone who has done just that, but Tillis has since said<\/u><\/a> he hasn\u2019t seen \u201canything disqualifying\u201d from Blanche on that matter. That doesn\u2019t make sense, and Tillis should explain why he doesn\u2019t consider Blanche\u2019s public behavior disqualifying.<\/p>\n

Another hard line for Tillis was the proposed $1.8 billion \u201canti-weaponization\u201d fund, established under Blanche\u2019s leadership. The fund was designed to compensate people who claim they were unfairly targeted by the federal government, and drew broad condemnation from Republican senators, including Tillis<\/u><\/a>. Blanche has since assured GOP skeptics<\/u><\/a> that the fund is dead.<\/p>\n

So which version of Tillis will we see when it comes time to vote on Blanche\u2019s confirmation? Will it be the new Tillis, who has firmly stood by his principles and become one of the Trump administration\u2019s toughest Republican critics? Or will it be the old Tillis, who talked tough but always caved?<\/p>\n

At the moment, it seems Tillis may end up supporting Blanche. In a CNN appearance<\/u><\/a> at the end of June, Tillis said he has a \u201cpositive predisposition towards Blanche\u201d but noted that \u201cif there\u2019s even a whiff of a lack of independence, then that could influence my vote.\u201d<\/p>\n

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To be clear, there\u2019s been much more than a whiff. It\u2019s a stench. Before joining the Department of Justice, Blanche was Trump\u2019s personal defense attorney, representing Trump in three of the criminal cases brought against him. As deputy and now acting attorney general, he\u2019s been one of Trump\u2019s chief enforcers. The creation of the Jan. 6 slush fund is one of the biggest and most egregious examples, but it\u2019s far from the only one. He\u2019s pursued baseless prosecutions<\/u><\/a> of Trump\u2019s political foes, signed an agreement<\/u><\/a> giving Trump and his family immunity from tax audits, installed inexperienced loyalists in key positions and declared \u201cwar\u201d<\/u><\/a> against \u201crogue activist judges.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of this makes Blanche a great future attorney general in the eyes of Trump. But for those who value a fair and impartial Department of Justice \u2014 and Tillis says he does \u2014 it should be disqualifying. Already, Blanche has broken the promises he made to senators before his confirmation as deputy attorney general last year. During that testimony, he said \u201cpolitical prosecutions should never happen, period\u201d and vowed to \u201cfollow the law\u201d if asked by Trump to do something illegal or immoral. No matter what reassurances Blanche may offer in his hearing this week, senators like Tillis now have reason to doubt them. Remember, Trump fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi<\/u><\/a> in part because he was frustrated with her inability to successfully prosecute his political enemies. A lack of independence is a requirement for the job.<\/p>\n

We have seen Tillis have reservations about controversial Cabinet nominees, only to turn around and vote for them in the end. That happened last year with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. While Tillis initially indicated that he would oppose Hegseth, he flip-flopped at the last minute, giving Republicans the last vote needed for Hegseth\u2019s confirmation. Tillis has since said he regrets that decision<\/u><\/a> due to Hegseth\u2019s \u201csophomoric sort of execution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, that was before Tillis announced he would not run for reelection, and Trump had reportedly threatened to endorse a primary challenger against Tillis if he voted Hegseth\u2019s nomination down. But Tillis has since freed himself from such political considerations, and has the opportunity to do the right thing this time. At the least, he has the opportunity to be consistent with his previous statements, instead of finding a way to wiggle free of them once again.<\/p>\n

Deputy Opinion Editor Paige Masten covers politics and the 2026 elections for The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer.<\/i><\/p>\n

Read more Could Ralph Norman replace Lindsey Graham in Senate after failed SC governor bid?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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