Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) announced his support for former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for attorney general and Kash Patel for FBI director, making key decisions for President-elect Donald Trump. His office confirmed to Breitbart News on Wednesday that he is endorsing several candidates.
Tillis also plans to vote for former Fox News host Pete Hegseth for defense secretary, assuming the Senate Armed Services Committee reports favorably on his nomination ahead of a floor vote next year. .
“Senator Tillis is focused on vetting nominees to jurisdictional committees and ensuring they receive fair hearings, with Pam Bondi and Kash Patel on the Senate Judiciary Committee. We are working to get it passed and approved by the floor,” Tillis said. spokesperson Daniel Kaelin told Breitbart News on Wednesday. “Senator Tillis has confidence in his Republican colleagues to ensure that all of President Trump's nominees undergo a fair confirmation process, and that nominees with favorable committee votes will be given a seat on the Senate floor. will receive votes.”
The quote was in response to a question from Breitbart News about Tillis' position on Hegseth's nomination, and that Tillis' office received favorable coverage from the committee. The fact that Trump has said he will vote for all of the Trump candidates is very important and presents a huge opportunity. Hegseth's hand comes as Trump's Pentagon nominee faces an onslaught of establishment media.
Although Tillis is not a member of the Armed Services Committee, he is a member of the Judiciary Committee, so Tillis' office said it specifically supports Bondi and Patel at this point in the process. Assuming Hegseth passes his confirmation hearing and leaves the committee, Hegseth will receive Tillis' vote on the floor, a Senate spokesperson said. A spokesperson for the senator clarified that the same applies to all nominees passing through the various committees in their jurisdiction. In addition to the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Tillis also serves on the Senate Finance Committee, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, and the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.
The way the process works in the Senate is that President Trump sends a nominee to the House, which then refers it to the appropriate committee. These committees then conduct an investigation into the candidate's background and qualifications and ultimately hold confirmation hearings during which the candidate testifies. The committee would then vote on whether to approve the nominee, sending the nominee directly to the U.S. Senate floor for a final confirmation vote. At least 51 senators must vote to approve a nominee for final approval.
The establishment media has aggressively attacked several of Trump's nominees, including Mr. Patel at the FBI and Mr. Hegseth at the Pentagon. NBC News on Tuesday reported that there were six Republican senators who were hesitant about Hegseth's nomination, although they did not name them. Mr. Tillis' spokesperson, Kaylin, clarified to Breitbart News that Mr. Tillis is not one of them. It is unclear whether the NBC News report is actually correct, and if so, who the six alleged senators are.
Tillis is up for re-election in North Carolina in 2026.
