WASHINGTON — Pam Bondi, the nominee for attorney general named by Donald Trump, aimed to assure Democratic senators during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday that her Justice Department would not pursue prosecutions for political reasons. However, she also left open the possibility of investigations into Trump’s opponents.
The confirmation hearing brought to light significant concerns regarding Trump’s potential use of the Justice Department’s authority to settle scores with those who have challenged him. Democrats were keen to ascertain whether Bondi could maintain the department’s independence from presidential influence. They questioned her ability to refuse unethical requests from the president, while Republicans expressed eager support for her nomination, viewing her as a corrective measure for what they described as the department’s previous liberal bias and improper targeting of Trump.
When questioned by Senator Chris Coons of Delaware about what she would do if career prosecutors had a legitimate case but the White House intervened to stop it, Bondi responded, “Senator, if I thought that would happen, I would not be sitting here today. That will not happen.” Her response indicated an assurance that she would resist any such pressure.
Concerns among Democrats were rooted in Trump’s previous attempts to use the Justice Department for personal benefit during his first term. These actions included pressuring the former FBI director to halt an investigation into an ally and dismissing his first attorney general after he recused himself from an inquiry into the 2016 campaign. As Trump prepares for a second term, he has called for probes into those who investigated him, including lawmakers and prosecutors, amplifying the stakes for Bondi’s confirmation.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the committee, pressed Bondi about her ability to tell the president “no” if asked to engage in improper activities, referencing her previous role representing Trump in his first impeachment trial. Throughout her testimony, Bondi, who has served as Florida’s first female attorney general, repeatedly claimed she would insulate the Justice Department from political entanglements, insisting her commitment would be to uphold the Constitution and prioritize the public’s interests over political loyalties.
In response to Republican Senator John Kennedy’s inquiry about whether she would start a prosecution with a name in mind, Bondi stated that no attorney general should ever approach the job that way. Yet, her statements did not fully alleviate Democratic fears regarding her fidelity to Trump. Parts of her testimony mirrored Trump’s campaign rhetoric, as she avoided disavowing some of his controversial statements and emphasized his electoral victory in November as a justification for significant changes.
During exchanges with Senator Mazie Hirono, a Democrat from Hawaii, Bondi sidestepped condemning Trump’s remarks about January 6 insurrectionists, stating, “I am not familiar with that statement.” Moreover, she refrained from expressing her position on blanket pardons for those charged in the Capitol riot, though she condemned violence against law enforcement, stating, “I’m not going to speak for the president, but the president does not like people that abuse police officers, either.”
When queried about Trump’s defeat to President Joe Biden, Bondi initially refrained from making a direct statement about the election outcome, only asserting that Biden is president. She later acknowledged the election results but appeared to suggest potential fraud, drawing from her experience during the post-election period in Pennsylvania, where she claimed to have witnessed various irregularities, despite the absence of evidence supporting widespread voter fraud.
Bondi supported Trump’s assertions that the prosecutions against him represented political persecution, declaring the Justice Department had been misused for political ends over many years. “They targeted Donald Trump… and launched countless investigations against him,” she claimed, promising that if appointed attorney general, she would not allow the office to be politicized.
In a spirited exchange with Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat often criticized by Trump, Bondi maintained that each case would be evaluated individually and ensuring no prosecutions for political reasons. However, her responses became more evasive when asked whether she would investigate Jack Smith, the special counsel responsible for indicting Trump.
The claims of politically motivated investigations have been robustly disputed by Attorney General Merrick Garland and Smith himself. They have maintained that their actions were based solely on the evidence available, with Smith recently noting that politics did not influence his prosecutorial decisions.
As Republicans rallied in support of Bondi, looking forward to her plans to uphold gun rights, free speech, border security, and countering violent crime and terrorism, the prospect of her confirmation appeared favorable in a Senate majority dominated by Republicans. Some GOP members suggested that the emphasis on Democratic inquiries regarding Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee for FBI director, indicated that those were of greater concern than Bondi herself.
Bondi concluded her testimony with a promise to restore integrity to the Justice Department, indicating a commitment to eliminate partisanship within the office and ensure equitable justice for all. Despite the apprehensions expressed by Democrats about the politicization of the department under Trump, Republican senators framed Bondi’s nomination as an opportunity for necessary change in direction.
