WATCH: Sen. Grassley makes opening statement in Blanche confirmation hearing

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made his opening statement Wednesday in the confirmation hearing for U.S. attorney general nominee Todd Blanche.

Blanche, President Donald Trump’s former defense attorney, stepped into the role of acting attorney general after Pam Bondi was fired in early April.

Senators are likely to question Blanche on his relationship to the president, as well as his role in controversial decisions at the Justice Department, including high-profile indictments of Trump’s perceived foes and the government’s handling of the Epstein files.

Since taking the top role at the Justice Department, Blanche has faced the most scrutiny over a deal to settle litigation with Trump over the leaking of his personal tax returns. Last month, he testified to Congress that the Justice Department was dropping a $1.8 billion fund aimed at compensating the president’s allies who felt like they had been unfairly persecuted due to strong bipartisan backlash.

This is the first of two days of confirmation hearings the committee has scheduled.

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