Senate

Tillis sets Jan. 6 red line on attorney general nominee

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by Tolu Talabi - 04/03/26 5:31 PM ET

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by Tolu Talabi - 04/03/26 5:31 PM ET

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Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Thursday he will not support any nominee for attorney general if the candidate makes excuses for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

President Trump dismissed Pam Bondi from the attorney general post before Tillis’s comments, which is expected to set up a confirmation battle on her successor later this year.

“For me, the threshold for somebody following Pam Bondi ends the moment I hear they said one thing that excused the events of January the 6th. I’ve been very clear on that,” Tillis said on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins. “So I hope whoever they have in mind to follow General Bondi is very clear-eyed on my position on Jan. 6.”

Tillis made a similar argument regarding Ed Martin, Trump’s choice to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Tillis said he would not back Martin because of his advocacy for people convicted of Jan. 6-related crimes.

“If Mr. Martin were being put forth as a U.S. attorney for any district except the district where Jan. 6 happened, the protest happened, I’d probably support him but not in this district,” Tillis told reporters in 2025.

Martin was not confirmed, and his nomination was withdrawn.

Republicans hold a 53-47 seat majority in the Senate. If Democrats are united against a Trump nominee, the party can only afford three GOP defections, with Vice President Vance able to break a tie.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general following Bondi’s departure.

It is unclear whom Trump will nominate to succeed Bondi, though Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, a former GOP congressman from New York, has been mentioned.

Tillis is a key member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and often has sway over whether certain nominees can receive the panel’s approval.

The senator has not indicated whether he will support or oppose Blanche’s nomination if Trump chooses the deputy attorney general to succeed Bondi.

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