US lawyer normal designee Pam Bondi fended off onslaughts from California Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla at her affirmation listening to Wednesday, each of whom grilled her about President-elect Donald Trump.
Padilla, 51, went first in questioning Bondi, 59, harping on the previous Florida lawyer normal’s go to to Philadelphia in the course of the 2020 election aftermath the place she appeared with Rudy Giuliani for a press convention and proclaimed “We’ve gained Pennsylvania.”
“Do you may have any proof of election fraud or irregularities within the 2020 election,” Padilla pressed her.
Bondi, who served as AG of Florida from 2011 to 2019, started responding, saying “I traveled to Pennsylvania….”
However Padilla repeatedly reduce her off as she tried to complete the sentence and reminded her of the oath she had taken to function the Sunshine State’s high cop.
The senator’s prodding prompted Bondi to hit again.
“You pointed your finger at me and mentioned you have been talking. Let me reply your query. I’m not going to be bullied by you Senator Padilla,” Bondi fired again by way of crosstalk. “I assume you didn’t wish to hear my reply about Pennsylvania.”
The Golden State Democrat requested about birthright citizenship and what the 14th Modification says, prompting one other clapback from the aspiring US lawyer normal.
“Senator, I’m right here to reply your questions, I’m not right here to do your homework and examine for you,” Bondi jabbed as Padilla repeated his query. “Hey, you chop me off — can I please end,” she added earlier than answering that the “14th Modification — everyone knows — addresses birthright citizenship.”
Earlier within the affirmation listening to, Bondi affirmed to senators that she accepts President Biden is at present the commander-in-chief, a degree on which Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have continuously centered.
However maybe the extra dramatic encounter Bondi had was with Schiff, 64, who was the lead impeachment supervisor throughout Trump’s first impeachment trial.
“My first set of questions has to do whether or not you may have the independence to say no, when you could say no,” Schiff started, earlier than asking whether or not she would reject a request to research former particular counsel Jack Smith.
“Senator, I haven’t seen the file. I haven’t seen the investigation. I haven’t checked out something. It could be irresponsible of me to make a dedication,” she replied.
Schiff, who was a high Trump foe within the Home throughout his first administration, needled that she appeared “reluctant to reply a easy query.” He then requested her about whether or not there’s a factual predicate to research former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).
“Nobody has requested me to research Liz Cheney,” she mentioned. “We’re all so nervous about Liz Cheney senator. what we ought to be nervous about? The crime fee in California proper now could be by way of the roof.”
“Your robberies are 87% greater than the nationwide common — that’s what I wish to give attention to senator.”
The freshman senator ignored the swipe and pressed whether or not Bondi had the “intestinal fortitude” to inform Trump that he misplaced the 2020 election. Bondi shrugged that off as a “gotcha.”
“Senator what I can let you know is I’ll by no means play politics. You’re attempting to have interaction me in a gotcha,” she countered by way of crosstalk. “I gained’t play politics with any ongoing investigation such as you did leaking your colleague Devon Nunes’ memo.”
Again in 2018, Schiff, who was the rating member on the Home Everlasting Choose Committee on Intelligence had hit again at a memo from former Chairman Devin Nunes alleging that the Justice Division, FBI and former particular counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation have been rife with bias.
Later in the course of the trade with Bondi, Schiff drilled down on whether or not she would advise Trump’s determination on whether or not to pardon scores of Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters.
“You have been censured by Congress, senator for feedback similar to this which might be so reckless,” Bondi mentioned, exasperated, throughout that conflict.
Schiff was censured in 2023 by the GOP-led Home over his dealing with of the Home Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Trump in the course of the first administration.
After subsequent questioning from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who went over his allotted time by a minute, Bondi later joked about deducting that minute from Schiff’s second spherical of questioning later within the affirmation.
Throughout her listening to, Bondi additionally reassured Democrats that “there’ll by no means be an enemies checklist throughout the Division of Justice” and that she doesn’t “consider Kash Patel has an enemies checklist.”
FBI director designee Kash Patel included an inventory of so-called “deep state” enemies in his 2022 tome “Authorities Gangsters: The Deep State, the Fact, and the Battle for Our Democracy,” which has rattled Democratic critics.