Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche started his Senate goodwill tour Monday in his bid for Senate confirmation to run the Justice Department permanently, sitting down with Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Charles E. Grassley.

The Iowa Republican is the first lawmaker to meet with Blanche since President Donald Trump tapped him to lead the DOJ last week, two months after Trump’s former personal defense attorney took the lead role in an acting capacity.

Grassley and Blanche, in a press photo opportunity for their meeting, declined to answer reporters’ questions about numerous moves Blanche has made. That includes setting up a now blocked $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that could benefit Trump’s allies and statements made by California Gov. Gavin Newsom that the DOJ is investigating the governor because of his opposition to Trump.

Nominees for top Cabinet posts typically meet with senators on the committee with jurisdiction, in this case the Judiciary panel. The current 12-10 partisan split on the committee could allow one Republican to tank the nomination if they vote with the panel’s Democrats.

Trump officially nominated Blanche for the role last week after serving as the acting attorney general since April, when Trump fired former Attorney General Pamela Bondi.

In the week since the announcement, several Republicans have praised the choice, while Democrats have roundly criticized the pick. A handful of Republicans have said they have questions for Blanche, particularly his role in creating the “anti-weaponization” fund.

Blanche has served as the deputy attorney general, the No. 2 role which generally runs the day-to-day operations of the department, since the Senate confirmed him last year.

During that time, he’s spearheaded numerous controversial measures, including a second indictment against former FBI Director James Comey and an indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center for alleged fraud.

According to Bondi’s testimony before a House panel, Blanche also supervised the controversial effort to release records of the deceased sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The Comey indictment charged him with a threat against Trump for posting a photo of seashells on a beach that spelled out “86 47,” and Comey has pleaded not guilty. The SPLC indictment accused the organization of fraud for paying informants in extremist organizations, and the organization has also pleaded not guilty.

On Monday, Newsom posted a video to the social platform X accusing the DOJ of investigating him and his wife for his opposition to Trump and because he is considering a presidential run in 2028. Newsom has opposed Trump’s policies on multiple issues, notably his immigration crackdown.