Thom Tillis blocks attorney general nominees who excuse January 6
thom tillis said he will not support any nominee for attorney general who excuses the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The North Carolina Republican made the warning as the Justice Department post remains open and any nominee will need Senate confirmation.
The senator said, “Hopefully they’ll take me at my word when I say anybody who equivocated on the January 6 rioters, I just can’t support.” Tillis, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, has leverage in a Senate where Republicans hold only a one-vote advantage.
Tillis and the Judiciary Committee
The attorney general position requires Senate confirmation, putting Tillis inside the process that would decide any future nominee. Trump has not yet formally nominated anyone to serve in the job, and Todd Blanche is currently serving as acting attorney general.
Tillis has already shown he is willing to use that leverage. He helped stall a Federal Reserve nomination over a Justice Department investigation involving Chair Jerome Powell, and he said the probe raised concerns about the independence and credibility of the Justice Department.
Powell Probe Fallout
Tillis also said he would oppose any Federal Reserve nominee until the matter involving Powell was fully resolved. Last week, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced that she was closing the probe into Powell, removing one of the disputes that had drawn Tillis into conflict with the administration.
The senator’s position on January 6 also echoes a February 2021 statement in which he said, “No president is above the law or immune from criminal prosecution, and that includes former President Trump.” On January 6, 2021, Trump supporters stormed the Capitol while lawmakers were inside certifying Joe Biden's election win.
Trump and the Senate Math
Pam Bondi was ousted by President Donald Trump in early April, leaving the attorney general job without a permanent nominee. With Republicans holding only a one-vote advantage and Tillis not seeking reelection in November, any nominee who tries to soften January 6 faces a narrower path through the Senate.
That makes Tillis one of the few Republican votes that can still alter the outcome before a nomination even reaches the floor. For any White House pick, the test now starts with whether the senator from North Carolina will move from warning to outright opposition.
