Pam Bondi battled Democrats over her ties to Donald Trump during her confirmation hearing Wednesday, where she repeatedly answered questions about the 2020 election.
Bondi, 59, the former two-term Florida attorney general whom Trump tapped to lead the Justice Department, arrived at her Senate confirmation hearing with her fiancé and family in tow.
Republicans and Democrats praised her legal credentials before beginning to examine her priorities for the department and her views on some of Trump’s most controversial claims.
Democrats drew on Bondi’s previous work with Trump, whom she briefly served during his first impeachment, and crafted questions that could have brought her into conflict with the Republican.
They sought to force her answers regarding some of the president-elect’s most controversial claims about the 2020 election, and whether she would act independently of Trump if confirmed.
“Are you prepared to say today under oath and without reservation that Donald Trump lost the presidential contest to Joe Biden,” asked the confirmation panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. the session.
Without skipping a step, Bondi answered the question and avoided the pitfall of denying the 2020 election results, which Trump has called “stolen” and “rigged.”
“Ranking Member, President Joe Biden is the President of the United States,” Bondi responded. “He’s been sworn in and he’s the president of the United States.”
Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department as attorney general, will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for her confirmation hearing at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (L) prepares to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee with her fiancé John Wakefield during her confirmation hearing for U.S. Attorney General
Bondi took issue with Democrats who tried to grill her over Trump’s 2020 election claims
“There has been a peaceful transition of power,” she continued, before adding, “President Trump left office and was elected by an overwhelming majority in 2024.”
But that answer did not satisfy Durbin and the Democrats.
So he tried again: “Do you doubt that Joe Biden had the majority of votes, electoral votes necessary to be elected president?”
Again, Bondi responded in the affirmative, saying, “of course, that Joe Biden is President of the United States.”
The veteran prosecutor took the moment for herself, noting how while working with the Trump team in 2020, she discovered many unusual things in Pennsylvania, likely hinting at voting irregularities in the battleground state.
“I was on the ground in Pennsylvania and I saw a lot of things there,” she continued, addressing the Illinois Democrat.
“And I’ve seen so much,” she continued, without saying exactly what.
“No one on either side of the aisle should want to see election integrity issues in our country. We should all want our elections to be free and fair, and that the rules and laws are followed.”
Bondi poses with Donald Trump on her Instagram in 2024
President Donald Trump (L) looks on as Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a meeting with state and local officials on school safety in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on February 22, 2018 in Washington, DC
The Democrat didn’t like the answer, telling Bondi, “I think that question deserved a yes or no, and I think the length of your answer is an indication that you weren’t prepared to answer yes,” that Biden the had the winning. number of electoral votes.
A clip of the attorney general nominee’s interaction with lawmakers caught the attention of newly elected Vice President J.D. Vance, who posted the comments praising Bondi’s performance during her confirmation hearing.
“Pam Bondi is crushing it,” Vance wrote.
During the hearing, a cast of Democratic senators repeatedly tried to get Bondi to say that Trump lost the 2020 election, in contrast to her routine response that Biden is president.
Later, Democratic California Senator Alex Padilla went after Bondi over her claims about the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania.
Padilla asked Bondi to provide evidence of election interference or refute her claims and admit they were false.
However, when she tried to speak, Padilla interrupted Bondi and moved on to his next question, which infuriated the attorney general candidate.
“You interrupted me when I was talking,” she accused.
“I’m not going to let you bully me,” Bondi continued. “I don’t think you want to hear my answer.”
Senator Alex Padilla had a heated exchange with Bondi during Wednesday’s hearing
Many of the Democrats’ questions were intended to test how Bondi would act independently of Trump if she came to power.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., who asked whether Donald Trump could run again in 2028, conceded the Republican would not.
“No, Senator, not unless they change the Constitution,” Bondi said, clearly aware that the 22nd Amendment prohibits presidents from serving more than two terms.
California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and Bondi also had a tense exchange as the lawmaker tried to pressure the nominee to answer whether she would approve a general pardon for Trump.
The president-elect has said he will pardon those involved in the crimes during the January 6 riot on “day one.”
Schiff pressed Bondi on how she would act if Trump did so, demanding to know how the 59-year-old nominee “will be able to review hundreds of cases on day one” to help Trump review the pardon.
“Of course not,” Schiff answered his own question.
“May I answer the question?” Bondi responded. “I will review any file I am asked to review.”
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., questioned whether Bondi would prosecute special counsel Jack Smith or Liz Cheney
Schiff started talking over her when the former Florida attorney general snapped at him.
“You have been criticized by Congress, Senator, for comments like this and they are so reckless!” Bondi exclaimed, referring to the 2023 House vote that convicted Schiff of parroting claims about Trump’s ties to Russia that turned out to be false.
She also excoriated Schiff at another point for allegedly leaking a 2018 memo from the Democrat’s longtime colleague Devin Nunes that outlined the FBI’s misuse of FISA surveillance applications.
“I will never do politics, you try to involve me in a joke, I won’t do that,” she said.
Bondi also shared her views on the role, including her top priority, which she said is the restoration of a tiered justice system.
“If I am appointed the next Attorney General of the United States, my primary goal will be to return the Department of Justice to its core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously prosecuting criminals, and that includes going back to basics on gangs, drugs, terrorist cartels, our border and our foreign adversaries,” she said during her opening statement.
“On my watch, the partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice will end,” she continued. “America must have one level of justice for all.”