Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing to serve permanently as the nation's top law enforcement officer. Blanche, whom President Trump nominated last month following the April ouster of Pam Bondi, has served in an acting capacity since Bondi's firing and previously represented Trump as his personal defense attorney in multiple criminal cases.

Democrats were expected to press Blanche on what they characterize as politicized prosecutions, including the firing of career prosecutors, the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and criminal charges filed against former FBI Director James Comey. Senators on both sides of the aisle also planned to question him about the Justice Department's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the controversial $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund created as part of a settlement resolving Trump's $10 billion civil lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns.

The settlement, which Blanche approved, established a fund to compensate alleged victims of government weaponization and granted Trump, his two eldest sons, and related business entities immunity from future tax claims. Bipartisan criticism prompted Blanche to tell a House committee last month that the department was scrapping the payout plan, but he declined to put that commitment in writing, and the Justice Department refused a federal judge's request for Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to sign a sworn declaration attesting to the fund's status.

On Monday, a federal judge in Miami issued a sharp rebuke of Trump, his lawyers, and the Justice Department over their conduct in the IRS case, finding the original lawsuit was filed for an improper purpose. Judge Kathleen Williams questioned whether Blanche violated ethical rules governing conflicts of interest and directed a copy of her order to the State Bar of New York. The ruling also barred Blanche and the Justice Department's No. 3 official, Stanley Woodward, from citing provisions of the deal as evidence of a settlement in any formal proceeding.

Despite the turbulence, most observers expect Blanche to be narrowly confirmed by the Republican-led Senate. The GOP's margin on the Judiciary Committee narrowed following the sudden death Saturday of Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a senior committee member and staunch Blanche supporter. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, one of the more skeptical Republicans, told reporters Tuesday he was nonetheless leaning toward supporting the nomination, barring new revelations at the hearing.