By Sadie Gurman – and C. Ryan Barber
Donald Trump soured on his first two attorneys general when they wouldn’t give in to some of his most extreme demands. If Pam Bondi becomes his third, would she be able to say ‘no?’”
She didn’t exactly say.
During her confirmation hearing Wednesday, Bondi sought at once to portray herself as an independent law enforcer and Trump’s ardent defender, saying “politics will not play a part” in her decisions while echoing the president-elect’s complaint that he was wrongly targeted by years of federal investigations.
“That partisanship, the weaponization will be gone,” Bondi said in opening her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Bondi, 59 years old, a former Florida attorney general, seemed calm and confident in the face of intense questioning by Democratic senators. She worked to cast herself as a freethinking, tough-on-crime prosecutor while also affirming her loyalty to Trump and support for many of his most controversial views.
She encountered skepticism throughout the hearing from Democrats worried she will help Trump wield the Justice Department as a weapon to go after his perceived enemies, as he has threatened to do.
“So you will provide an assurance to every member of this committee that the Justice Department will only follow the facts in the law, and the White House will play no role in cases investigated or brought?” asked Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.).
“It will be my job to make those decisions,” Bondi responded. “Politics will play no part.”
Disclaimer
The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components
