Overview
- Blanche’s 400‑plus page written responses released July 21 repeatedly declined to answer questions about internal deliberations, said “The Anti‑Weaponization Fund is dead,” and refused to pledge he would never revive settlement terms.
- Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn hold the deciding votes on the 11‑10 Senate Judiciary Committee and have not committed to advancing Blanche, prompting active White House outreach to their offices.
- Epstein survivors who met with Blanche on July 16 called the session perfunctory and “condescending,” and more than two dozen sent an open letter on July 21 urging Tillis and Cornyn to oppose his confirmation.
- A federal judge has voided the settlement that created the roughly $1.76–$1.8 billion fund and criticized Blanche’s conduct, and the settlement’s immunity and payout provisions remain focal points of senators’ concerns.
- Questions about Blanche’s aide Mike Davis, reports that DOJ reviewers focused on redactions rather than investigative leads, and a planned committee vote around July 30 raise the risk that the nomination could stall and prolong fights over DOJ independence and accountability.