US President Donald Trump nominated Todd Blanche Monday to the position of the country’s 83rd attorney general. Blanche has served as acting attorney general since the resignation of Pam Bondi. He is now in line for the full time position pending Senate confirmation.

Blanche began his legal career as a paralegal in the criminal division of the Justice Department. For 15 years he worked in the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York as a paralegal, an Assistant US Attorney, and a supervisor. He later worked in criminal defense and served as Trump’s defense attorney in three of his criminal cases.

After returning to the Justice Department, Blanche has been part of recent controversial decisions, including the IRS settlement and the anti-weaponization fund, which has polarized the legislative branch.

Additionally, former Attorney General Pam Bondi stated in an interview about the Epstein files that she “delegated oversight over this process to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.” She also stated that it was Blanche who interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell because he wanted to see if “she had evidence of co-conspirators and other crimes.”

These decisions are likely to come up in the Senate. Among Senate Republicans, Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley stated that “[Blanche] is well-qualified and has shown his dedication to restoring law and order across our country.” Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn stated that they will be asking tough questions, and their votes depend on his answers.

The Senate has a 53-47 balance, meaning Blanche cannot lose the support of more than three Republicans. It is likely that all Democrats will oppose this nomination. Senator John Fetterman, who voted to confirm Markwayne Mullin as Homeland Security Secretary, stated he will vote no on Blanche. Senator Adam Schiff stated Blanche has allowed the “President to abuse the [Department] of Justice to go after his political enemies.”