Blanche returns to Capitol Hill for second day of hearings in quest to become attorney general

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche returns to Capitol Hill on Thursday for a second day of testimony in his bid to be appointed to the post on a permanent basis.

He will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, whose members will vote after the question-and-answering sessions whether to recommend his nomination be "advanced" to a final, full chamber vote.

The President Trump nominee will need support from all 11 Republican members of the 20-member committee, with Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn, after Blanche's testimony Wednesday, still publically undecided about whether he'll cast the deciding "yes" vote.

On Wednesday, Blanche touted the efforts by the Trump administration – including the Justice Department that has led since April on an acting basis – in reducing violent crime across the country, particularly in Memphis, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C. 

However, he faced tough questions about Trump’s IRS lawsuit and the DOJ's handling of the so-called Epstein files and is expected to face more of them Thursday.