Accusations of weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice were hurled by Republicans and Democrats during the confirmation hearing of Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi Wednesday.
In opening the Senate committee hearing, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Indiana, said the Biden administration used the Department of Justice to go after political enemies, including raiding Donald Trump’s home and going through his wife’s underwear drawers.
“This Orwellian conduct should have no quarter,” Grassley said.
Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, argued Trump used the government to go after his political enemies during his first term.
“He even tried to use the Justice Department to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election,” Durbin said. “The president-elect made it clear that he values one thing above anything else, and he’s said it over and over again, loyalty.”
Bondi, a former two-time Florida attorney general and Trump ally, said weaponizing the Justice Department would end under her tenure with an aim at restoring integrity to the department.
Multiple Democrats, including Durbin, asked Bondi if President Joe Biden beat Trump in 2020.
“President Biden is the president of the United States. He was duly sworn in and he is the president of the United States,” Bondi said. “There was a peaceful transition of power. President Trump left office and was overwhelmingly elected in 2024.”
To others’ questions about targeting political opponents, Bondi said that won’t happen under her watch.
“Justice will be administered evenhandedly throughout this country,” Bondi said. “Senator, we’ve got to bring this country together. We’ve got to move forward, or we are going to lose our country.”
Bondi said she would uphold fundamental rights, advise Trump that drug cartels are terrorists, hold opioid manufacturers accountable, combat human trafficking and assist in border security. She also said she will review case-by-case any possible pardons of Jan. 6 riot defendants. She would also prioritize antitrust laws.
Asked if she would be directed to do something illegal or unethical, Bondi said she aims to restore integrity.
