Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, gave an effective performance during Wednesday’s Senate confirmation hearing.
The nominee fielded questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers about her record and ability to do the job if confirmed.
Throughout the proceedings, Democrats did their best to paint Bondi as a Trump loyalist who will help him enact his revenge on his enemies after he takes office. They peppered her with questions about her opinion on the 2020 presidential election and tried to force her to admit President Joe Biden defeated Trump fairly.
Rep. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, began his remarks by calling Bondi “highly qualified” and affirming that she will “take the helm at a very turbulent time for this country and for that department.”
Grassley then went into a lengthy diatribe about the politicization of the Justice Department and how it was used to target the president-elect. He referred to operation Crossfire Hurricane, in which agents spied on the Trump 2016 campaign and sought to link him to Russia using the debunked Steele Dossier.
My investigative work exposed that the FBI I actually knew the dossier was false information and was likely a part of a Russian disinformation campaign. Even with the knowledge of such dossier defects and political infections, the Justice Department sought FISA Warrant Renewals and took other actions. After directing my oversight staff to investigate the Justice Department's mishandlings of the matter, the Justice Department retaliated by issuing a subpoena for my own staff's phone records. That's right, challenging my constitutional rights of doing my oversight duties. What's next?
🚨 BREAKING: Senator Chuck Grassley just excoriated Biden's DOJ in Pam Bondi's confirmation hearing.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 15, 2025
"These are only a few egregious examples of ROT infesting the Department of Justice. The impact of this political infection [is] CATASTROPHIC."
"Ms. Bondi - should you be… pic.twitter.com/N5IMu0Q4zd
In her opening statement, Bondi recalled how she worked to “keep Florida safe” when she served as the state’s attorney general and referenced her work to address the opioid crisis.
Out of the top 100, this is one of the things I'm the most proud of, Oxycodone dispensers in the entire country, I believe it was 98 of them, 90 or 98 of them, lived in Florida. We fought for tough legislation. Kids were dropping dead every day. We fought for tough legislation. After that legislation, none of those opioid dealers, doctors, practiced in Florida.
Bondi also touted her work to protect Florida’s consumers. “We tackled everything, including off-label prescription marketing, which affects, as you know, many, many people who can't afford prescriptions as well.”
PAM BONDI: I helped keep Florida safe. I protected victims of crime. I tackled the drug and opioid crisis. We got tough legislation stopping opioid dealers from practicing in Florida. We fought to eliminate human trafficking. We protected consumers. pic.twitter.com/Mw8rMULwXy
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 15, 2025
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) was the first Democratic senator to question Bondi, and he set the stage for what would become one of the party’s primary lines of attack: The 2020 presidential election.
Durbin pressed Bondi on a phone call Trump made in the aftermath of the election in which he appeared to tell Georgia’s secretary of states to manufacture 11,780 votes. Referenced a snippet of the call in which Trump asked the official to “find” the votes.
Bondi asked whether Durbin had the context of the phone call because “I feel like it was much longer than that. It may have been taken out of context.”
Durbin: "He said to the GA Secretary of State, 'find 11,780 votes.'"
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 15, 2025
Bondi: "Do you have the entire context of that call? I feel like it was much longer than that."
Durbin: "It is. It was an hour long."
Bondi: "Right." pic.twitter.com/Zda2o8aEC9
Throughout the proceedings, Bondi affirmed that President Joe Biden is actually the president, but stopped short of saying he won the election fairly.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) asked her about the possibility that the incoming Trump administration might weaponize the government against his political enemies. “It would not be appropriate for a prosecutor to start with a name and look for a crime. It's a prosecutor's job to start with a crime and look for a name, correct?” he asked.
Bondi responded, turning the tactic against Democrats by pointing out how they have used the power of the state to target Trump.
Senator, I think that is the whole problem with the weaponization that we have seen the last four years and what's been happening to Donald Trump. They targeted Donald Trump. They went after him. Actually, starting back in 2016, they targeted his campaign. They have launched countless investigations against him.
The nominee affirmed that this “will not be the case” if she is confirmed and that she “will not politicize that office.”
NEW: Pam Bondi DESTROYS Dem Senator by flipping the script on his weaponization of the justice system question.
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) January 15, 2025
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE: “And it would not be appropriate for a prosecutor to start with a name and look for a crime. It’s a prosecutor’s job to start with a crime and look… pic.twitter.com/IZIO7Dsv00
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) focused on the situation at the southern border and brought up the Laken Riley case. “Do you believe Laken Riley would be alive today if President Biden and Vice President Harris had enforced the law and secured the border?” he asked.
Bondi responded, saying the illegal immigrant who murdered Riley “should not have been in our country” and noted that “There are so many victims throughout our country” and referenced the gang activity that illegal immigration has brought.
🚨 Senator Cornyn asks Pam Bondi:
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 15, 2025
“Do you believe that Laken Riley would be alive today if President Biden and VP Harris had enforced the law and secured the border?”
Bondi: "It's not just Laken Riley. He shouldn't have been in the country." pic.twitter.com/X41mRxq0zY
The real theatrics began when it was Sen. Mazie Hirono’s turn to question Bondi. As she did during Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, she took the opportunity to engage in a bit of grandstanding. At one point, she pressed Bondi on the outcome of the 2020 election.
SENATOR MAZIE HIRONO: Who won the 2020 election?
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 15, 2025
PAM BONDI: Joe Biden is the president.
HIRONO: You won't say it. It's disturbing. pic.twitter.com/Hsto93PHdx
It was a silly moment but not quite as goofy as when she claimed Hegseth would shoot protesters and invade Greenland.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) was one of the more aggressive questioners and also brought up the 2020 election, saying many of Trump’s allies “continue to spread the big lie about the 2020 election.”
Bondi still refused to give her opinion on the fairness of the election but sought to explain what she saw in Pennsylvania while the voting was taking place. However, Padilla talked over her and did not let her make her statement, which prompted her to say, “I’m not going to be bullied by you, Sen. Padilla.”
The senator pushed forward, asking Bondi what the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment says. “Senator, I'm here to answer your questions. I'm not here to do your homework and study for you,” the nominee retorted.
Pam Bondi to Senator Alex Padilla:
— AmericanPapaBear (@AmericaPapaBear) January 15, 2025
"Senator I am here to answer your questions, not to do your homework for you."
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/WWWPgoDSl8
There were several fiery moments during the proceedings. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) felt Bondi’s wrath when he tried to lock her down on investigating Liz Cheney.
🚨 911, I NEED A STRETCHER FOR THIS CALIFORNIA POLITICIAN.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 15, 2025
SENATOR ADAM SCHIFF: Were you asked to investigate Liz Cheney?
PAM BONDI, A.G. NOMINEE: No. Why are we so worried about Liz Cheney? We should be more worried about the CRIME RATE in California - it's through the roof!… pic.twitter.com/tINH3UDlmp
All in all, Bondi turned in a compelling performance. She expertly fended off Democrats’ attacks while still offering a conciliatory tone, emphasizing her desire to work with both parties to make America safe again. It is likely she won’t have any problems getting confirmed.
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