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Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche has appeared for his first day of confirmation hearings before the US Senate, as he seeks a permanent appointment to lead America's top law enforcement agency.

Blanche, who took over after Trump fired Pam Bondi, faced probing questions, mostly from Democrats. Republicans praised his handling of immigration cases and called for him to look into allegations against former special counsel Jack Smith and taking a more aggressive stance against medication abortion.

Here are today's main areas of questions:

• Epstein files. Blanched was asked about what senators called "problematic redactions"; "insufficient effort" on following investigative leads" and "refusal to meet with victims" when it came to the handling of the federal investigation into deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Blanche said releasing millions of files within a short time-frame was a "Herculean task" and that it is against the law for him to meet with victims directly
• Independence from Trump. Blanche, who was previously Trump's personal lawyer, says he is not friends with the president and would be able to operate independently of him if confirmed. "I met him as his criminal defence attorney," he said. "I'm not sure there's very many people who have ever had a criminal defence attorney who calls that person their friend."
• Anti-weaponisation fund. Senators probed Blanche about the administration's quashed federal fund for people who believed they were unfairly targeted by the government. Blanche, who signed the agreement with Trump to create the fund in exchange for the president dropping his personal lawsuit against the IRS, said the fund is "dead" and won't move forward
• A Trump third term. Blanche affirmed the president is not eligible to run again

We're ending our live coverage on this page shortly. You can stay up-to-date on this story here: Epstein 'mistakes' and Trump ties: Key takeaways from Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing

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Senator Chris Coons has told a press conference held by Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee after the hearing that Todd Blanche “still sees himself as Trump’s personal lawyer”.

He “isn’t likely to stand up to the president”, Coons says.

As an example, Coons says Blanche "got defensive" when pressed about pardoning of the 6 January rioters. Coons says he thinks Blanche supports Trump on this matter.

The American people "deserve an attorney general who serves them," Coons says, and "not someone who solely serves the president" and his agenda.

His fellow Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal described Blanche as being Trump's "personal henchman."

During the hearing, Blanche described himself as Trump's former defence lawyer, but said he now works for the government and would not call himself "friends" with the president.

Republican Chairman Grassley has just called the hearing, which spanned close to four hours, to a close. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will return to Capitol Hill tomorrow as part of the process of being confirmed to the role permanently.

Vermont Democrat Peter Welch raises concerns about FBI Director Kash Patel, whose position is overseen by Todd Blanche.

Welch references a report from The New York Times in which confidential government sources sources shared that the $400mn airplane Qatar gave to the US does not have the proper deceptive defense capabilities to be used as Air Force One. Under Patel, the FBI issued subpoenas to the Times reporters demanding they release the identities of their sources.

Welch says he believes that the reporters, and their sources, should be protected under the First Amendment because the information shared serves the public interest.

"Do you support Mr. Patel's efforts?" Welch asks.

"We're not targeting reporters; They're material witnesses, just like court witnesses," Blanche answers. "The question we want to ask them is who provided them with classified national security information, which everybody in this body should want to protect."

You can read more about the subpoenas here.

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Another question now on former special counsel Jack Smith, who has been accused of secretly obtaining text messages from dozens of senators while he investigated Donald Trump during the Biden administration.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley alleges that his own messages were "scooped up" by Smith, who he says has "lied and lied".

Hawley asks Blanche: "Have you thought about investigating this guy for perjury?"

"We take testimony in front of this body very seriously, Yes," Blanche responds.

"I hope that you will investigate Jack Smith for perjury" and "possibly prosecute him", adds Hawley.

Tom Bateman
Reporting from Capitol Hill

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It’s pretty clear that Democrats on the committee - at least those who have questioned Blanche so far - are going to oppose his confirmation.

If that is reflected in the wider Senate vote, his fate will be decided along party lines - meaning he will be need every Republican to back him.

But among those Republicans are two known sceptics, John Cornyn and Thom Tillis (who are both also frequent critics of Trump), which means that Blanche’s job over these two days is to win them over.

The questions in today's hearing from Cornyn and Tillis showed their deep concern over Blanche’s role in the legal settlement leading to Trump’s "anti-weaponisation" fund.

The fund has been scrapped and a federal judge recently voided the personal lawsuit brought by Trump and his sons that the agreement sought to end, but some lawmakers and legal critics have expressed alarm that the justice department entered the agreement in the first place.

Democrats see this as one of the most corrupt attempted actions by a US president in recent history, as the settlement would shield Trump and his family from tax scrutiny while making available nearly $2bn (£1.48bn) of taxpayers' money to so-called victims of “government weaponisation” - likely Trump supporters and potentially including pardoned January 6th rioters.

Blanche has spent the morning trying to distance himself from the fund saying it is now “dead”. But he has defended the process that led to the settlement.

Tillis asked him a series of tough questions about it but ended with a tribute: “You’ve done a great job today”. Blanche may have won over at least one of the two key swing votes he needs.

Utah Republican Mike Lee brings up Chairman Chuck Grassley's investigation into how former special counsel Jack Smith obtained lawmakers' text messages.

As we reported earlier, Grassley says in a letter on Tuesday that Smith had secretly obtained text messages from dozens of senators while investigating Donald Trump during the Biden administration.

Lee says Smith's actions were "un-American" and a "baseless phishing issue" and commends Blanche's past comments that the collecting was "the worst form of abuse".

Lee asks what Blanche is doing and will do to prevent this kind of thing from happening again.

Blanche says the Department of Justice is committed to transparency, to holding itself accountable, and prosecuting misconduct.

You can read more about Jack Smith's two criminal investigations into Trump here.

Democratic Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker says that there is "much concern" about Blanche taking over the Department of Justice (DoJ) because he was previously Trump's personal lawyer.

Trump has a "very well-documented history" of attempting to "corruptly influence government officials" in pursuit of his own interests, Booker says.

The "American people are really entitled to know whether your allegiance to the rule of law is your focus", he says.

Booker tells Blanche that "over 1,200" former and current DoJ officials have warned that "you should not be in this position because of your inability to be independent from your personal allegiance to Donald Trump over the rule of law".

He appears to be referring to a letter sent to the Senate last week by current and former department employees opposing his nomination.

The New Jersey senator moves on to another question, so we don't hear a response from Todd Blanche.

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Back to Epstein.

Democrat Cory Booker focuses his questions on why Blanche has refused to meet with victims of Epstein (we reported earlier that Blanche says he can only meet with their lawyers under the law) but was willing to meet with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

Blanche spent two days questioning Maxwell in July last year, and a week later she was moved to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas, which Booker says "seems clearly like a reward".

Booker then digs into direct questions about that interview, wanting to know if it led to anyone else being charged in the Epstein investigation, whether he discussed clemency with Maxwell, and whether they discussed her transfer to another institution.

Blanche responds "no" to most of the questions, and appears frustrated that the senator does not allow him to answer in more detail on some points.

You can read more on what the justice department says happened during the interview here.

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Democratic Senator from Hawaii Mazie Hirono heavily criticises Blanche and tells him "you have no business being the attorney general of the United States of America".

She asks if Trump has the "right and duty" to prosecute his perceived political enemies, as she says he previously said. Blanche answers that in his past comment, he meant that Trump has the right and duty to oversee the Department of Justice, not the right and duty to pursue his enemies.

Hirono also asks if judges should be impeached for ruling against Trump administration policies, as Trump has reportedly suggested. Blanche answers "no".

Hirono has a list of concerns about Blanche, saying he sees nothing wrong with election interference, voter suppression, and compensating Trump's insurrectionist allies.

She concludes: "I certainly urge my colleagues to vote against your confirmation."

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Several Republican senators have pressed Blanche on the subject of access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

The medication is one of the latest fronts in the battle over abortion rights in the US, with the pharmaceutical company that makes it asking the Supreme Court in May to intervene after a lower court placed significant restrictions on access to the pill by mail.

Sen Katie Britt recounts a story of a woman who alleges she was force-fed medication by her then boyfriend, causing the loss of her pregnancy. She may be referring to a man who was indicted earlier this year in Ohio.

"We are losing children, and we are putting women in harm's way," Britt says, asking Blanche to pledge "meaningful and thoughtful action to address the dangers".

In response, Blanche says he is also concerned about "pills coming even from overseas to young women", adding that "anybody can get it, there's no instructions".

"I very much commit our resources to stopping this."

Read more: What is the abortion pill mifepristone and is it safe?

When the hearing resumes, Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal questions Blanche on Iran - asking about the alleged deportations of Iranian evangelical Christians who had sought asylum in the US. They were sent back to Iran, where they face persecution, Blumenthal says.

He is referring to a lawsuit filed earlier this month that alleges the Trump administration shared information about these asylum seekers with the Iranian government.

"We would never send somebody home to be tortured," Blanche says. "There's no such policy."

Asked if he will investigate the claims, Blanche doesn't give a clear answer, saying there may or may not be an investigation depending on if the lawsuit warrants one.

The BBC reported in November about the Christian converts who were among Iranians being deported.

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Before the break, Republican Senator for Missouri Eric Schmitt says Blanche had been asked "totally unfair" questions, and that he wants to highlight some of the actions Blanche had taken as acting attorney general. Blanche took that role in April, after Pam Bondi was removed.

Schmitt says Blanche "carried out the largest healthcare fraud takedown" in Department of Justice (DoJ) history, cleared a backlog to facilitate more deportations, "filed a historic number of denaturalisation cases" and "secured major anti-DEI wins against IBM and PayPal".

"That's a hell of a record in 100 days," Schmitt says.

He then asks Blanche if he would enforce a "zero tolerance policy" for federal officials "who pressure technology companies to suppress lawful speech".

"Absolutely, yes senator," Blanche replies.

For background - DEI stands for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the Trump administration has sought to end policies promoting DEI within the federal government. You can read more here.

Senators are back now and questioning has resumed.

The first questions are on Iran, coming from Democrat Richard Blumenthal.

Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing is now taking a 15-minute recess.

The panel's remaining senators will ask the acting attorney general more questions when he returns.

Senator Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, asks Blanche about calls from some of Trump's backers that he should serve a third term as president -- which is prohibited under the US Constitution.

"Is President Trump, just as a simple matter of constitutional law, eligible to run for another term as president in 2028?” Coons asks.

“I don’t believe he is, no,” Blanche said.

Trump himself has said he would love to serve a third term, as we reported in October.

Background on the issue, which has bubbled up occasionally over the last few years, and the legal arguments around it, can be found here.

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Rhode Island Democrat Whitehouse also pushed Blanche on the lawsuit between Donald Trump and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

As we reported earlier, Durbin had asked about the agreement Blanche signed in May to create a since-abandoned $1.8bn "anti-weaponisation" fund and grant Trump immunity from tax audits in exchange for Trump dropping his personal lawsuit against the IRS. A judge recently voided the lawsuit and agreement.

Whitehouse lists some findings of US District Judge Kathleen Williams in her 56-page ruling - that Department of Justice (DoJ) "colluded with the Trump plaintiffs", that officials "violated" DoJ policies, that they "were derelict in their responsibilities", and "failed to zealously advocate" for the United States.

Whitehouse says that while it's "open" whether the DoJ committed fraud against the court, it's an "unprecedented allegation".

He asks if Todd Blanche would be willing to publish "all of the documents and communications" between the DoJ and the plaintiffs in Donald Trump's lawsuit.

Blanche says he's "not aware" of any communications personally as he wasn't involved, but says they can put a request in.

He also says there's been "several indications" that the judge's ruling might be appealed.

• Read more:US judge voids Donald Trump's $1.8bn settlement with IRS that gave him immunity from tax audits

In one of the hearing's most dramatic scenes so far, Blanche vigorously defended FBI director Kash Patel, saying he had "full faith" in the "work that he's doing every day".

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse - a Democrat - had asked: "How long do you intend to put up with that Kash Patel character?

"Are you good with his airplane jaunts? Are you confident he's not drinking on the job? Are you sure none of his travel is a pretext for vacation activities like snorkelling, Olympics, and visiting girlfriends?"

Patel has faced allegations of excessive drinking and unexplained absences of duty, and has previously been accused of "irresponsible joyriding" in the FBI's private aircraft.

Blanche did not address those claims directly, dismissing the question as "extraordinarily obnoxious".

Read more:FBI Director Kash Patel files $250m lawsuit against The Atlantic magazine

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Now Republican Kennedy asks: "Did Jack Smith read my emails?"

In a letter on Tuesday, the committee's chairman said that former special counsel Smith secretly obtained text messages from dozens of senators as part of a probe into Donald Trump during the Biden administration. It's not clear if Kennedy is referring to the text messages Smith reportedly obtained.

Blanche answers that he doesn't know if Smith read his emails.

"Will you check for me?" Kennedy asks several times. Blanche says he will.

Blanche adds: "There are checks in place that should make it extraordinarily difficult for a prosecutor to collect and review a senator's emails, or a congressman's emails, or a lawyer's emails, or other folks that have privilege protections associated with their communications, and those checks and balances should always be used."

For context: Smith told a congressional committee in January that he believed his team had “proof beyond a reasonable doubt” and enough evidence to win convictions against Trump in both cases they had prosecuted. You can read more here.

Senator John N Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, asks Blanche about his personal and professional relationship with Trump. (Kennedy has no relation to the late US president with the same name.)

Blanche's previous work for Trump and his elevation to a top justice department position have raised concerns among Democrats and other legal critics about Blanche's independence.

Are you and President Trump friends? Kennedy asks.

Blanche replies that he was previously Trump's criminal defence lawyer, and is now his acting attorney general.

But then Kennedy asks if they are enemies, and Blanche says they are not.

Have you ever disagreed with Trump? Kennedy asks.

Blanche responds that he has. In response to questioning, he also responds that Trump has done things that he advised the president not to do.

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