(WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to head the Justice Department — former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi — faces questions before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
Democrats want to ask her about her vow to “prosecute the prosecutors — the bad ones” — referring to special counsel Jack Smith and other DOJ lawyers who investigated Trump.
Bondi says there are no discussions about probing political enemies
Welch brought up Trump’s vow to go after his political opponents, including President Joe Biden.
Bondi testified that she has not had conversations with Trump about any plan to prosecuted Biden, Cheney, Sen. Adam Schiff and others.
However, she made unsubstantiated claims that such political prosecutions have taken place under Biden.
“No one will be prosecuted or investigated because they are a political opponent. That’s what we’ve seen in the last four years,” she said without sharing any specifics.
Hearing resumes
The heading ended its lunch break. Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont has begun his questioning.
Tillis says it’s ‘absurd, unfair’ to ask about Jan 6 pardons
Without asking Bondi a direct question, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis attacked Democrats for asking Bondi whether she would support pardons for violent Jan. 6 rioters — even after Bondi declined to answer directly earlier in the hearing whether such a move would be acceptable to her.
“I find it hard to believe that the president of the United States, or you, would look at facts that were used to convict the violent people on January the sixth,” he said.
Despite Tillis’ statement, Trump has made clear his plans to pardon a large number of Jan. 6 defendants once he takes office, and his transition has repeatedly declined to give clarity on the scope of those pardons.
Hearing breaks for lunch
The hearing paused for a 30-minute lunch break.
Bondi evades questions on investigating Jack Smith, Liz Cheney
Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono brought up Bondi’s past statements saying she would go after the “bad ones” in the Justice Department, asking her if she would prosecute former special counsel Jack Smith or former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney.
Trump has called for both of them to be investigated and jailed for their probes.
Bondi said she would not answer hypothetical questions and claimed that “no one has been prejudged” and that no one will be prejudged.
Bondi dodges question of who won 2020 election for 3rd time
For the third time during Wednesday’s hearing, Bondi dodged when asked who won the 2020 presidential election.
“We want an attorney general who bases decisions on facts,” Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono said. “So, I want to ask you a factual question. Who won the 2020 presidential election?”
“Joe Biden is the president of the United States,” Bondi replied.
Hirono accused Bondi of refusing to directly answer the question of who won.
“I can say that Donald Trump won the 2024 election. I may not like it, but I can say it,” Hirono said. “You cannot say who won the 2020 presidential election. It’s disturbing that you can’t.”
Bondi doesn’t commit to enforcing pending TikTok ban
Blumenthal asked whether she would enforce the TikTok ban, which is slated to begin on Sunday.
Bondi cited the pending Supreme Court case and claimed she could not comment. Trump once pushed for a ban but has come against the bipartisan bill approved last year that would ban it unless its owners divested from Chinese ownership.
Blumenthal calls out Bondi for dodging question about 2020 election integrity
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he was “deeply disturbed” by some of Bondi’s responses during the hearing, particular her earlier not answering directly when asked whether Trump lost the 2020 election.
“You have to be able to say that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election,” he said. “You dodged that question when you were asked directly by Senator Durbin.”
Bondi questioned about resigning if asked to do illegal act
Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons questioned Bondi again about her independence — and if she would resign from her post if she were asked to do something illegal or unethical.
Coons noted Donald Trump’s attorneys general in his first term were fired for failing to cooperate with his orders.
Bondi said she would not talk about hypotheticals and reiterated her statement that she would follow the law.
“Senator, I wouldn’t work at a law firm, I wouldn’t be a prosecutor, I wouldn’t be attorney general If anyone ask me to do something improper, and I felt I had to carry that out, of course I would not do that,” she said.
Bondi says no ‘intention of shutting anything down’ on FBI national security work
After pressing Bondi over what he called Trump FBI director pick Kash Patel’s “enemies list,” Sen. Whitehouse shifted to questioning Bondi on whether she would shut down the FBI’s national security and counterterrorism work, to which Bondi answered that, while she will look at every agency, she has no “intention of shutting anything down.”
She then expanded on her TV appearance with Fox News host Sean Hannity, where she called for “investigating the investigators.”
She gave the example of a so-called “bad” prosecutor in the Justice Department as Kevin Clinesmith. Clinesmith was an ex-FBI lawyer who entered into a plea deal with former special counsel John Durham and received a sentence of probation for altering an email that was used to support an application for a foreign surveillance warrant.
Bondi responds to her claim that some DOJ prosecutors will be prosecuted
Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse questioned Bondi about her past statement that prosecutors who investigated Trump should be prosecuted for what she claimed was wrongdoing.
Bondi reiterated her claims that Trump was unfairly targeted by the Justice Department for years and it was her duty to hold everyone to standards of the law.
“None of us are above the law,” she said.
When asked about prosecuting journalists, Bondi said, “I believe in the freedom of speech. Only if anyone commits a crime.”
Bondi defends Kash Patel, says she doesn’t believe he has ‘enemies list’
Bondi was questioned about Trump’s FBI director pick Kash Patel, who has spoken about using that role to “root out” Trump’s political enemies.
Patel has referred to these targets as “Deep Staters,” citing what critics call conspiracy theories about alleged sinister elite groups controlling the country.
Bondi said she has never had an “enemies list,” and said she does not believe Patel has one.
“I don’t believe he has an enemies list. He made a quote on TV, which I have not heard,” Bondi said.
“There will never be an enemies list within the Department of Justice,” she added.
Bondi said she believes Patel is “the right person at this time” for the role.
Graham brings up Laken Riley case
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham turned to immigration in his question and brought up the Laken Riley murder to ask Bondi if she would push for more detention beds for detained immigrants in the U.S. illegally.
“We let this dude go because we didn’t have enough beds to hold them,” Graham said of Jose Ibarra, convicted in the 2024 killing.
Bondi said she would look into it.
Bondi sidesteps when asked if Trump lost 2020 election
Bondi, who boosted Trump’s false claims of 2020 election fraud, sidestepped in her answer to Durbin’s question on whether Trump lost the 2020 election.
“I accept, of course, that Joe Biden is president of the United States. But what I can tell you is what I saw firsthand when I went to Pennsylvania as an advocate for the campaign,” Bondi said.
Bondi said she “saw many things there,” but did not specify what she referred to as “issues with election integrity in our country.”
“I think that question deserved a yes or no,” Durbin replied, “And I think the length of your answer is an indication that you weren’t prepared to answer ‘yes.’”
Bondi dodges questions about Jan. 6 pardons
Durbin asked Bondi if she thinks those convicted of violent assaults on police officers on Jan. 6 should be pardoned.
Bondi said that while pardons fall under the purview of the president, “if asked to look at those cases, I will look at each case and advise on a case by case basis.”
She continued to dodge questions about her thoughts on those convictions but said, “I condemn any violence against any law enforcement member in this country.”
Bondi vows alleged DOJ weaponization ‘will be gone’
After being sworn in, Bondi, in her opening statement, laid out her experience as a prosecutor in Florida, particularly her two terms as the state’s attorney general.
She noted her work on taking on drug cartels and other gangs.
“If confirmed, I will do everything in my power, and it would be my duty, to make America safe again,” she said.
Bondi said she wanted to fight the “partisanship and weaponization” in the Justice Department and work with all senators and law enforcement agencies across the country.
“The partisanship, the weaponization will be gone. America will have one tier of justice for all,” she said.
Durbin raises concerns Bondi’s connections to Trump cases
Durbin said he had concerns about Bondi’s work for Trump in his attempts to cast doubt on his 2020 election loss.
“You repeatedly described investigations and prosecutions of Mr. Trump, Trump as a witch hunt, and you have echoed his calls for investigating and prosecuting his political opponents. This flies in the face of evidence,” he said.
Durbin also as said he had concerns about Bondi’s controversial move to not investigate fraud claims against Trump University in 2016 when she was Florida’s attorney general.
“I also have questions whether you will focus on the needs of the American people rather than the wealthy special interests,” he said.
Durbin to challenge Bondi as hearing gets underway
In his prepared opening statement, top committee Democrat Dick Durbin will tell Bondi, “Ms. Bondi, you have many years of experience in law enforcement, including nearly a decade of service as attorney general in one of the largest states in the nation. But I need to know you would tell President Trump ‘No’ if you are faced with a choice between your oath to the Constitution and your loyalty to Mr. Trump.”
Trump says Bondi will end alleged ‘weaponization’ of DOJ
“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore,” Trump wrote in his announcement of Bondi for attorney general.
Bondi boosted Trump’s false claims of 2020 election fraud
Pam Bondi has developed a reputation as one of President-elect Donald Trump’s most loyal defenders — a vocal political and legal advocate who represented Trump during his first impeachment, boosted his efforts to sow doubts about his 2020 election loss, and stood by him during his New York criminal trial. Read more about her background here.
Democrats to grill Pam Bondi over loyalty to Trump
Bondi – Trump’s pick to head the Justice Department – has vowed, in a 2023 interview on Fox News, to ‘’prosecute the prosecutors – the bad ones’’ who investigated Donald Trump.
Dick Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee — whose members will question Florida’s former attorney general – has said ‘’she has echoed the President[-elect]’s calls for prosecuting his political opponents, and she has a troubling history of unflinching loyalty to the President-elect.”
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