Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was among those who questioned President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Attorney General of the United States, Pam Bondi, and he was unequivocal in what he wants to see from a new Department of Justice.
“I don’t want a Republican Department of Justice. I don’t want a Democrat Department of Justice. I want a Department of Justice that follows the damn law,” he said to the nominee who served as Florida’s attorney general.
It was a stark contrast from the line of questioning and attacks that came from Democrat senators, but Bondi was prepared for them.
Rhode Island Democrat Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse questioned her about the “weaponization” of the Department of Justice that he believes will happen when Trump becomes president, and she torched him with what the current administration has done to the president-elect.
“Under what circumstances will you prosecute journalists for what they write?” the senator said.
“I believe in the freedom of speech. Only if anyone commits a crime. It’s pretty basic, Senator, with anything, with any victim, and this goes back to my entire career for 18 years as a prosecutor and then eight years as Florida’s Attorney General. You find the facts of the case, you apply the law in good faith, and you treat everyone fairly,” the nominee responded.
“And it would not be appropriate for a prosecutor to start with a name and look for a crime. It’s the prosecutor’s job to start with a crime and look for a name, correct?” Sen. Whitehouse said.
“Senator, I think that is the whole problem with the weaponization that we’ve seen over the last four years and what’s been happening to Donald Trump. They targeted Donald Trump. They went after him. It actually started back in 2016. They targeted his campaign. They launched countless investigations against him,” Bondi said in a blistering response.
“That will not be the case if I am Attorney General. I will not politicize that office. I will not target people simply because of their political affiliation. Justice will be administered evenhandedly throughout this country. Senator, we’ve got to bring this country back together. We’ve got to move forward, or we’re going to lose our country,” Bondi added.
“I think the concern is that weaponization of the Justice Department may well occur under your tenure, and we want to make sure that that’s not the case—that you remain independent, you remain able to and willing to tell the President no when that’s necessary to protect the Constitution and the integrity of the Department. So that’s where I am asking these questions,” Whitehouse replied.
“We talked in a meeting about the contact policy that has prevailed really since Senator Hatch sat in that chair and demanded it of the Clinton Justice Department. Through all the administrations since—with the exception of the brief under consults, which was corrected and did not end well for him—there has been a contacts policy that limits contacts between the White House and the Department of Justice to a very few senior officials on each side. In your role as Attorney General, if you are confirmed, would you maintain, defend, and enforce that long-standing contacts policy?’” he asked.
🚨 JUST IN: Pam Bondi totally flips the script on Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D) who tried to make it seem like she will weaponize the DOJ.
Masterclass.
WHITEHOUSE: The DOJ cannot just start with a name, and then look for a crime. You must start with a crime and look for a… pic.twitter.com/Edzzf5Eibt
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 15, 2025
“Senator, yes, I will meet with White House counsel, and I will meet with the appropriate officials and follow the contacts policy,” the nominee responded.
During her opening statement to the senators, Bondi assured them that the weaponization of the DOJ would cease under her watch.
“Lastly and most importantly, if confirmed, I will fight every day to restore confidence and integrity to the Department of Justice and each of its components — the partisanship, the weaponization — will be gone. America will have one tier of justice for all,” she said.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
