Washington DC - Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump's pick to head the Department of Justice (DOJ), will face a fiery Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

Blanche, who previously served as Trump's personal defense lawyer, will come under tough questioning from Democrats and a number of Republicans during his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

A sole Republican "no" vote on the panel could be enough to torpedo the 51-year-old's appointment to be the US' chief law enforcement officer.

Blanche has been serving as acting attorney general since Pam Bondi was fired by Trump and has been closely tied to what Democrats have dubbed a "retribution" campaign by the Republican president against his perceived political enemies.

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Former FBI director James Comey, an outspoken Trump critic, is among those who have been targeted by the DOJ under Blanche. Comey was indicted in April for allegedly threatening Trump's life in an Instagram post.

Blanche has also controversially defended a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" to compensate Trump's political allies, and a deal that shielded the president from audits of his past tax returns.

The administration has since dropped plans to create what Democrats denounced as a "slush fund" and a federal judge on Monday voided the settlement with the Internal Revenue Service.

Blanche has also come in for criticism from victims of Jeffrey Epstein over his handling of the release by the DOJ of investigative files about the convicted sex offender, a close friend of Trump.

"Under Blanche's leadership at the Department of Justice, Epstein survivors' personal information – including their names, phone numbers, and home addresses – was exposed, while the names of many alleged abusers and other powerful individuals connected to Epstein remained redacted," a group of victims said in a statement.

Trump defended Blanche in a post to Truth Social on Tuesday, saying he was doing a "phenomenal job" battling crime as acting attorney general and "every Republican senator" should vote to confirm him to the permanent position.

Prior to joining the DOJ last year, Blanche represented Trump in his New York trial over alleged "hush money" paid to adult star Stormy Daniels.

He was also on the legal defense team in two federal cases brought against Trump by Special Counsel Jack Smith – for allegedly mishandling classified documents and for seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Both cases were dropped after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

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Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a speech on the Senate floor on Monday, urged fellow lawmakers to give a thumbs down to Blanche's nomination.

Blanche's "number one client" has been Trump, Schumer said, but "as attorney general, your number one client should be the United States of America."

"Blanche has devoted his career to serving Donald Trump and particularly his corrupt purposes," the senator from New York said. "Blanche has gone after Trump's enemies, covered up Trump's crimes, and shielded Trump from the consequences."

Republicans have a majority on the Senate panel but at least two Republicans – Senator Thom Tillis, who is retiring, and Senator John Cornyn, who was defeated in a primary after Trump backed his opponent – have expressed concerns about Blanche's appointment.

More than 1200 former DOJ employees have signed a letter opposing Blanche's nomination, citing his role in firing hundreds of career officials and instilling a "culture of fear" in the workforce.