Tillis defends Blanche vote and Trump on The View, drawing differing accounts

Mixed · 2Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who is retiring from the Senate, appeared on ABC's The View on Monday 5 October to promote his book, "How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents". 1 2 Left · 1Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin noted that the book calls his vote to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth "the biggest regret" of his career, and Tillis said of Hegseth, "I hope he gets fired." 1 Left · 1Co-host Ana Navarro told Tillis he was inconsistent for criticising nominees such as Hegseth and Kristi Noem in the book yet voting for them, and challenged his recent vote to confirm Attorney General Todd Blanche. 1

Left · 1Tillis defended the Blanche vote, saying Blanche was a key reason Jerome Powell remains on the Federal Reserve Board and that a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who say the government unfairly targeted them is dead, and calling him the most qualified person to give the president honest feedback. 1 Left · 1Raw Story reported that Blanche signed the May deal creating the fund and rescinded it in writing in August after Tillis and Sen. John Cornyn withheld support, though the order left the underlying settlement intact, so the fund could still be revived, according to the Tax Law Center. 1 Left · 1Navarro shouted "Oh, come on!" and raised reports that Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars toward Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding celebrations in the Bahamas, which ProPublica reported last month; she said Blanche would not look into it. 1

Left · 1Asked about the payments by reporters last month, Blanche replied, "Am I investigating what?", according to Meduza; the president later said his son had repaid Kremlev, though neither the White House nor the Trump Organization had provided evidence, ABC News reported. 1 Left · 1Tillis told Navarro he had held discussions with Blanche, had seen the work and stood behind his decision; she replied, "And then you regret it!" 1 Right · 1Tillis also sparred with co-host Whoopi Goldberg, who asked why he says he supports Trump and calls him an amazing political talent despite disagreeing with some policies; Tillis answered that Trump has won two national elections, builds coalitions and is a great political force. 2

Right · 1On Fox & Friends First on Tuesday, Washington Examiner columnist Joe Concha said the hosts expected a "total Trump-bashing session" but Tillis "held himself pretty well"; he noted Tillis opposes Trump on the SAVE America Act but remains a Republican. 2