Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for her confirmation hearing to become the nation's top law enforcement official. Bondi, a close ally of President Trump, faces scrutiny from Democrats who are concerned about her lack of federal experience and her potential to weaponize the Justice Department.
Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general who represented President-elect Donald Trump during his first impeachment, is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday as she seeks confirmation to become the nation's top law enforcement official.
Bondi will emphasize in her opening statement, obtained by CBS News, the importance of 'one tier of justice for all' and plans to assure the committee that 'the partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice will end' under her leadership. Trump selected Bondi for the position of U.S. attorney general after his initial nominee, former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew his candidacy. Bondi made history in 2010 as the first woman to serve as Florida's attorney general, a role she held for two terms. A staunch ally of the president-elect, Bondi promptly endorsed Trump in his 2016 presidential bid, becoming one of the first elected officials in Florida to do so. Bondi's confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee is one of several taking place this week as Trump prepares for his second term in office. Other nominees facing senators' questions ahead of Monday's inauguration include Pete Hegseth, Trump's intended choice for defense secretary; Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who is under consideration for secretary of state; and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, selected by Trump to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Republicans have indicated their intention to grant significant deference to Trump as he fills out his administration's top ranks, aiming to install key Cabinet officials shortly after the president-elect is sworn in on Monday. Bondi's nomination process saw her engaging with senators on Capitol Hill in the weeks leading up to her confirmation hearing. She is not anticipated to encounter substantial obstacles to confirmation by the Republican-controlled Senate. Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley met with Bondi in early December, characterizing her as a 'well-qualified nominee with an impressive legal career.' Nevertheless, Democrats are likely to delve into concerns that Trump will exploit the Justice Department to target his political opponents, including President Biden, former special counsel Jack Smith, and members of the House select committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. They are also expected to question her perspective on the attorney general's role and the independence of the Justice Department. Prior to the hearing, Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, accused Trump of using the Justice Department as his personal legal firm and expressed his worry that Bondi will prioritize loyalty to Trump over allegiance to the Constitution. Durbin met with Bondi last week. 'The obvious concern with Ms. Bondi is whether she will follow the bipartisan tradition of the post-Watergate era and oversee an independent Department of Justice that upholds the rule of law,' Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, stated in a Senate floor speech on Monday. She may also face scrutiny from Democrats regarding her lack of federal experience and her work as a lobbyist for foreign nations after leaving state government. The attorney general candidate is a partner at Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm that also employed Susie Wiles, Trump's incoming White House chief of staff. Bondi was term-limited in her position as Florida's attorney general and left office in 2019. During her tenure, she spearheaded lawsuits against the Obama administration, challenging the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and then-President Barack Obama's immigration policies. Subsequently, she served as an attorney and lobbyist at Ballard Partners. She represented major corporations such as General Motors, Amazon, Uber, and the American Institute Against Human Trafficking, according to Open Secrets, a nonprofit organization that monitors lobbying activities. She also registered with the federal government to lobby on behalf of Qatar 'regarding Qatari relations with U.S. government officials, U.S. business entities, and non-governmental audiences, in dealing with matters pertaining to combating human trafficking.' During Trump's first term, Bondi briefly departed her lobbying position to serve on his defense team during the initial impeachment proceedings launched by congressional Democrats. She defended Trump's July 2019 call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, asserting that the then-president had justifiable grounds to raise concerns about the Bidens, Ukraine, and the Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma. Hunter Biden, Mr. Biden's son, served on the board of Burisma. During the 2019 call, Trump pressured Zelenskyy to investigate Mr. Biden, then his primary rival for the presidency, and his son. Democratic lawmakers initiated investigative proceedings to determine if Trump conditioned security assistance to Ukraine on the public announcement of an investigation.
PAM BONDI ATTORNEY GENERAL DONALD TRUMP SENATE CONFIRMATION JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REPUBLICANS DEMOCRATS FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL
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