Blanche apologises on Capitol Hill for Epstein files 'mistakes' - Published Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche has faced a tense bipartsian grilling on Capitol Hill, as he seeks a permanent appointment to lead America's top law enforcement agency. Blanche was questioned about his personal relationship with President Donald Trump, the Epstein files, and a controversial settlement between Trump and the US tax agency that a federal judge nullified this week. Trump dismissed his previous attorney general, Pam Bondi, amid a political firestorm over the Epstein files release.

Blanche has led the agency in the interim. Here are five key moments from Blanche's confirmation hearing. Blanche asked if he is Trump's friend Going into Wednesday's hearing, Blanche faced questions about whether he would operate independently from Trump, who has vowed "retribution" against his political enemies in his second term.

Trump has pressured the justice department to pursue controversial prosecutions of several of his critics, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Blanche served as Trump's personal attorney in three of the four major criminal cases he faced leading up to the 2024 election. Most notably, Blanche led Trump's legal defence in his New York criminal trial.

Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican who broadly supports the administration, asked Blanche on Wednesday if he was "friends" with Trump. "I'm his lawyer - was his lawyer," Blanche said in response. "And now I'm the deputy attorney general." "I met him as his criminal defence attorney, I'm not sure there's very many people who have ever had a criminal defence attorney who calls that person their friend," Blanche said.

Is the 'anti-weaponisation fund' dead? The day before Blanche's confirmation hearing, a federal judge quashed a settlement between Trump, his business and family, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The deal included immunity from future audits and the creation of a $1.7bn (£1.2bn) "anti-weaponisation fund" for people who believed they were unfairly targeted by the government.

The settlement had sparked bipartisan outrage on Capitol Hill, and senators from both parties questioned Blanche about the agreement. Republican senators, in particular, seemed to want Blanche on the record saying that the fund was truly dead. "You have no reason to believe that the so-called weaponisation fund will continue because of the settlement, agreement, is that correct?" Senator Mike Lee, a Republican, asked Blanche.

"I am confident it will not," Blanche said. "It should never be paid out," said another Republican senator, Thom Tillis. He pressed Blanche for an "agreed to piece of text, coming from the administration, that just renders this thing dead, gone." Blanche apologises for Epstein files 'mistakes' The Epstein files are the biggest challenge to face the justice department since Trump's return.

After public outcry, Congress mandated that the justice department release its trove of millions of files related to the investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.