Pam Bondi, President-elect Trump’s choose to guide the Division of Justice, echoed assaults on the company she would lead if confirmed, however demurred on how she may deal with exams of its independence.
Bondi is a extra conventional choose to guide the division than Trump’s preliminary alternative, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). She’s a longtime prosecutor and spent two phrases because the Florida legal professional basic, the place she centered particularly on battling medication.
However she’s a controversial choose for Democrats as somebody who labored on Trump’s 2020 election challenges and has been extremely important of the investigations, even calling for “prosecutors to be prosecuted.”
Fears over Trump’s affect on DOJ
Democrats hammered Bondi over what they see as the best challenge going through her within the function: her skill to push again in opposition to a president who has repeatedly mentioned he would go after his enemies and mentioned he has the “absolute right” to do what he desires with the Justice Division.
Bondi repeatedly referenced the a number of investigations into Trump as proof that the Division of Justice has been weaponized, vowing to finish politicization on the division.
“If confirmed, I will work to restore confidence and integrity to the Department of Justice — and each of its components. Under my watch, the partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice will end,” she mentioned in her opening assertion.
However that was alarming to Democrats, who pointed to quite a few statements from Trump calling for revenge in opposition to a protracted checklist of his adversaries.
“I need to know that you would tell the president no if you’re asked to do something that is wrong, illegal or unconstitutional,” mentioned Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Sick.), the highest Democrat on the panel.
He described Bondi as somebody who “has passed Donald Trump’s attorney general loyalty lest with flying colors, whether by peddling election lies or saying she will prosecute perceived enemies, and her unflinching loyalty to the President-elect raises serious concerns about the future of an independent Justice Department.”
She additionally confronted questions on actions she would take in opposition to Trump’s critics. She dismissed lots of them as hypotheticals, irking Democrats who famous lots of their questions have been drawn from Trump’s personal feedback.
“I will never speak on a hypothetical, especially one saying that the president would do something illegal,” Bondi mentioned.
She later declined to say whether or not she would appoint a particular counsel to research Trump if he was accused of criminality.
“What I do know is special prosecutors have been abused in the past on both sides. We have seen that for many, many years. …and I will look at each situation on a case-by-case basis and consult the appropriate career ethics officials within the department to make that decision,” she mentioned.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) mentioned the Supreme Court docket’s immunity ruling offers Trump a “loaded weapon…to commit crimes through the Department of Justice” and mentioned that like her processors below the primary Trump administration she would face moral dilemmas.
“You may say you believe that conflict will never come, but every day, week, month and year of the first Trump administration demonstrated that conflict will come,” he mentioned.
Bondi additionally mentioned she had by no means had discussions with Trump about investigating President Biden or former members of the Jan. 6 panel like Liz Cheney and Schiff.
That was reassuring to figures like Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), who mentioned he was “satisfied” that “this is not an agenda that you have.”
However Bondi wouldn’t commit when Schiff requested whether or not she would examine particular counsel Jack Smith.
“I haven’t seen the file. I haven’t seen the investigation. It would be irresponsible for me to make a commitment,” she mentioned.
She later added concerning the investigation: “Senator, what I’ve seen on the news is horrible.”
Bondi has beforehand criticized DOJ investigations into Trump, saying on Fox Information in 2023 that the “deep state” was working in opposition to him.
“The Department of Justice, the prosecutors will be prosecuted — the bad ones. The investigators will be investigated,” she mentioned on the time.
Republicans on the panel hammered their Democratic colleagues for being so singularly centered on DOJ independence.
“The focus of these questions today are disturbing. I don’t think my Democrat colleagues learned very much from the Nov. 5 election,” mentioned Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), a former legal professional basic himself who launched Bondi at the beginning of the listening to.
“Their obsession with President Trump didn’t bode well for them electorally, and I think if they stay on his path, they’ll be in a permanent minority.”
Wouldn’t acknowledge Trump’s 2020 loss
Bondi dodged a query from Durbin about whether or not Trump misplaced the 2020 election.
The previous Florida legal professional basic echoed different Republicans in stating that President Biden is now the president, however she wouldn’t say that Trump misplaced and described the transition as peaceable regardless of the occasions of Jan. 6.
“President Biden is the President of the United States. He was duly sworn in, and he is the President of the United States. There was a peaceful transition of power. President Trump left office and was overwhelmingly elected in 2024,” Bondi mentioned.
She went on to drift doable fraud in Pennsylvania, the place she aided the Trump marketing campaign in difficult the election. Not one of the 62 lawsuits Trump introduced difficult the election scored a victory in court docket.
That response was unsatisfactory to Durbin.
“I think that question you deserved yes or no, and I think the length of your answer is an indication that you weren’t prepared to answer yes,” he responded.
She was later criticized by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) when he requested if she may present proof to again her claims in Pennsylvania, noting one other member of the Trump marketing campaign’s authorized staff, Rudy Guiliani, was disbarred for comparable statements.
Patel issues
A working theme all through the listening to was how Bondi would deal with Kash Patel, Trump’s choose to guide the FBI, an company below the purview of the Justice Division.
Democrats zeroed in on a string of controversial feedback from the Trump loyalist, from pledging to “come after” the media to crafting an inventory of “government gangsters” he included in a e-book by the identical title.
“If he is confirmed, and if I am confirmed — he will follow the law if I am the attorney general of the United States of America. And I don’t believe he would do anything otherwise,” she mentioned.
That was not comforting to Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
“While I agree you would be the boss of Kash Patel, I’m not sure that you would be able to intervene with every decision or position that he had or know what he’s doing,” she mentioned.
Bondi did later criticize Patel’s feedback on prosecuting journalists, saying, “Going after the media just because they are the media is wrong, of course.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-S.C.), at one level teased his Democratic colleagues for being so fixated on Patel, saying it was a very good signal for Bondi.
“You should be happy that so many comments have been directed towards cash Patel, whose confirmation I am supporting,” he mentioned.
“So if it comes up again, you will once again know that you’ve got a great reputation and a great resume, and they’re just trying to find things to put your integrity into question.”
Nationwide safety points
Bondi additionally confronted quite a lot of questions on each immigration and a coverage permitting for the warrantless surveillance of foreigners situated overseas.
Trump has pledged to hold out the biggest deportation operation in historical past and Bondi mentioned she would again efforts to extend mattress capability with a view to element extra migrants.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to fix it….We need more beds,” she mentioned.
“My job, if confirmed as attorney general, will be to keep America safe and that includes having enough space for violent criminals.”
Bondi additionally confronted questions on Part 702 of the International Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Bondi wasn’t pressed to stake out a place on the regulation, however the questions made clear the robust place the division might be in when the regulation is up for renewal in 2026.
Whereas Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) careworn the necessity for warrants, others like Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) known as it the “crown jewel” of the intelligence toolbox, stressing the necessity to maintain it largely intact.
Affirmation seems seemingly
Republicans heaped reward on Bondi as a wonderful choose for legal professional basic.
“When Pam was nominated by President Trump, my reaction was, ‘This is a home run.’ As many of us are, I was only outdone by Sen. [Lindsey] Graham (R-S.C.), who described the nomination as a Grand Slam touchdown hole in one ace hat trick slam dunk, Olympic gold medal. And he was right,” Schmitt mentioned.
“I think your history, your qualifications, your demeanor, your character, warrant a bipartisan vote. I hope you get it,” he added later.
Grassley ended the listening to by calling her “eminently qualified” to guide the division.
Padilla additionally mentioned he anticipated Bondi to be confirmed.
“I know how to count and I know how to read tea leaves. It seems to me you’re very, very, very, very likely to be confirmed,” he mentioned.
“And I certainly look forward to seeing you demonstrate the independence and respect for the rule of law that you have suggested to the committee.”
