WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch is moving closer Thursday toward an expected confirmation, with a series of witnesses set to testify on her nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

During a daylong hearing before the committee on Wednesday, Lynch testified to her independence from President Barack Obama and willingness to work with the Republican-led Congress.

In her first appearance before the Republican-led committee, Lynch offered support for some controversial Obama administration policies, including the president's unilateral protections for millions of immigrants in the country illegally.

But she also suggested she would provide a fresh departure from Attorney General Eric Holder, who is deeply unpopular among some Republicans.

If confirmed by the Senate, Lynch would become the nation's first black female attorney general.