Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faces tough questions during Senate confirmation hearing

WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA) - Acting Attorney General (AG) Todd Blanche faced tough questions Wednesday as he seeks to become the permanent AG.

Blanche's confirmation faces some tough hurdles as he was the one who signed off on a deal over President Donald Trump's lawsuit against the IRS that created a nearly $2 billion fund for what he calls victims of the Department of Justice, as well has his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Blanche, President Trump's attorney general pick, faced the Senate Judiciary Committee for the start of a two-day confirmation hearing.

"Serving in the Department of Justice is my American dream," Blanche expressed.

Democratic lawmakers questioned whether the president's former personal attorney can maintain independence.

"Since you were confirmed, the Department of Justice has literally violated dozens of court orders to advance the president's agenda," said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).

Senators on both sides grilled Blanche on the proposal for a $1.8 billion fund to pay "victims" of DOJ investigations.

"There is no weaponization fund, the weaponization fund is dead and it is not moving forward," Blanche remarked.

Lawmakers also pressed the acting AG on his role in releasing the millions of DOJ documents in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation after a bipartisan effort to force transparency.

Some of Epstein's victims were on hand. Sen. Durbin says they have not been able to meet with Blanche.

When the senator asked if he will meet with the ten survivors, Blanche responded saying, "If they have lawyers, as you know, I'm prohibited from meeting directly with them. I have met with counsels for survivors, as has many people in the Department of Justice."

Blanche has vowed to investigate anyone who is suspected of committing crimes connected to Epstein.

Trump has called on every Republican senator to approve Blanche's nomination, and with the Senate divided as it is, Blanche may need every Republican vote in order to be approved as the Attorney General.