WATCH: Sen. Schiff questions Blanche in attorney general confirmation hearing

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., questioned U.S. attorney general nominee Todd Blanche in a confirmation hearing Wednesday held by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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 questioned 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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