Pam Bondi likely to be confirmed as Trump picks glide through hearings: Recap
WASHINGTON – Welcome to Confirmapalooza.
Senate Committees questioned six of Donald Trump’s top appointees on Wednesday over issues of war, political revenge, spycraft, electric cars and more.
Pam Bondi, Trump's choice for Attorney General and the day's main event, battled through heated exchanges with two Democratic senators as she repeatedly refused to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 election, while stating she accepted that he was president.
Bondi was on the road to confirmation, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., one of her chief antagonists, said as that hearing ended. "Today, Pam Bondi demonstrated exactly why she is an excellent choice to serve as the next Attorney General of the United States," the Trump transition team said in a statement.
More: Takeaways from Senate confirmation hearings: Democrats grill Trump Cabinet nominee
Other Trump appointees gliding toward likely confirmation included Marco Rubio for secretary of state; John Ratcliffe, CIA director; Sean Duffy, transportation secretary; Chris Wright, energy secretary; and Russell Vought, to lead the Office of Management and Budget.
Follow along with USA TODAY for a day of pivotal hearings.
Confirmapalooza closes: Trump's nominees in good shape
With the end of Russell Vought's hearing before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, that's it for Wednesday's Senate marathon. Most of Trump's choices enjoyed at least a measure of bipartisan support and Pam Bondi, his prospective Attorney General, easily navigated through rough questioning from Democrats on the Judiciary Committee.
Hearings will continue Thursday with questioning of witnesses in Bondi's confirmation, and hearings for Scott Bessent, Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary and former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum at Interior.
More: At Pam Bondi's attorney general confirmation hearing, focus moved to FBI nominee Kash Patel
A man, a plan, a canal: Panama
Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump's prospective Secretary of State, indirectly addressed the president-elect's threats to reclaim the Panama Canal, possibly by force, over concerns about Chinese influence over the waterway.
Rubio said he hadn't yet looked into the legality of reclaiming the canal.
“But I'm compelled to suspect that an argument could be made that the terms under which that canal were turned over have been violated, because while technically, sovereignty over the canal has not been turned over to a foreign power, in reality, a foreign power today possesses… through their companies ? which we know are not independent ? the ability to turn the canal into a choke point in a moment of conflict," Rubio said.
"And that is a direct threat to the interests and the national security of the United States."
At the same time, Panama has been a "great partner" to the U.S. in other areas, he told senators. "And I hope we can resolve this issue of the canal."
?Francesca Chambers
More: Trump loyalist John Ratcliffe sails through CIA director confirmation hearing
Barely a peep about Project 2025 at Vought hearing
Russell Vought, tapped to once again lead the Office of Management and Budget under Trump, helped contribute to the controversial and sweeping conservative policy blueprint known as Project 2025. The document was a Democratic rallying cry during the 2024 campaign and Trump was forced to disavow it.
However, Vought faced little questioning on the document at his confirmation hearing Wednesday.
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., noted in his opening statements that Vought is “one of the architects of Project 2025,” having written a 25-page chapter on executive power. The Michigan senator said he has “serious questions” about Vought’s candidacy for a myriad of other reasons.
Otherwise, Democratic senators largely focused on issues such as Vought's views on Congress’ power of the purse and his appetite for disagreement with Trump.
Meanwhile, Republicans were predominantly concerned with federal spending and asked Vought his plans to decrease it.
?Savannah Kuchar
More: Trump's 'Front Row Joes,' superfans and the obsession, explained
Bondi hearing wraps; senators expect confirmation
Senators finished their questioning of Pam Bondi on Wednesday after nearly five and half hours. Senate Judiciary Committee leader Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said they may still submit written questions to her until 5 p.m. EDT Thursday. Other witnesses are also set to be questioned Thursday about Bondi's nomination.
"I have every confidence that you're going to do a superb job," Grassley told Bondi.
All signs pointed to Bondi's confirmation as the hearing ended. Even Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who got into heated exchanges with Bondi, said she is "very, very, very, very likely to be confirmed."
–Aysha Bagchi
Schiff asks Bondi for help fighting crime after wildfires
Sen. Adam Schiff, who had been another harsh questioner of Pam Bondi, Trump’s choice to become attorney general, asked for her help prosecuting arsonists, looters, fraudsters and price gougers in the aftermath of the California wildfires.
“I hope you will demonstrate a willingness to go after anyone who is engaged in price gouging,” said Schiff, D-Calif. “The price at the pump in California is through the roof. Are you willing to take on even powerful interests like the oil industry if you determine that they are gouging consumers?”
Bondi reminded Schiff she represented Florida as attorney general during the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. She said she could help fight crime throughout the state.
“Crime is rampant in California and it’s only going to get worse based on these fires,” Bondi said.
?Bart Jansen
Trump’s pick for budget director faces questions on abortion
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., asked Vought a series of questions related to “policies of life,” or the issue of abortion, including whether abortion providers should be excluded from federal grant money and if pregnancy resource centers, known for their opposition to abortions, should in turn be entitled to government funding.
“The president has made his views on abortion really clear throughout the administration, the campaign,” Vought said. “I’m not going to get ahead of the president with regard to the budget process.”
Trump has celebrated his role in appointing three conservative Supreme Court justices who were crucial in overturning Roe v. Wade. But he waffled during the 2024 election on some abortion issues, at one point seemingly suggesting he would vote in favor of a pro-abortion access ballot measure in Florida, before eventually clarifying his opposition.
“Again, the president’s a pro-life president. He had a very pro-life record,” Vought said Wednesday. “I think the country has a good sense of where he is on the issues.”
?Savannah Kuchar
More: Trump says he would veto national abortion ban as issue threatens his campaign
Bondi says her hope is to 'restore integrity' to DOJ as polls show polarization
Asked by Republican Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt about her overall vision for the Justice Department, Bondi said she plans to surround herself with "great people" and look at different parts of the department, but "first and foremost," she wants to "keep America safe and restore integrity to that department.
"I don't think I can stress enough that 72% of Americans have lost faith in the Department of Justice," Bondi said.
Bondi didn't explain the source of that statistic, but polls indicate American views on the department may be polarized based on which presidency it falls under.
More: Israel and Hamas reach deal on Gaza ceasefire, hostage release
Only 17% of U.S. adults are either "extremely" or "very" confident that the Justice Department will act in a fair and nonpartisan way in Trump's second term, according to a new poll from the Associated-Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Another 32% are somewhat confident.
Republicans views of DOJ grew more critical in recent times, according to a July Pew Research Center survey. It found 56% Republicans and Republican-leaning independents had an unfavorable view of the department, up from 50% the year before. By contrast, only about a third of Democrats and Democratic leaners had an unfavorable view.
– Aysha Bagchi
Strings attached for Trump wildfire aid?
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., pressed Russell Vought, Trump's choice to run the White House Office of Management and Budget, on whether, if confirmed, he would ensure that federal grants do not hinge on a grantee’s political affiliation – or a state’s political makeup.
“So, if the president says to you, ‘I don’t care what the law says, I don’t like California, and I’m not going to give them the disaster aid they need,’” Hassan asked, “you’re going to stand up to the president and say, ‘Sir that’s not appropriate’?”
More: 'Conditions' should be placed on California wildfire aid: House Speaker Mike Johnson
Trump has threatened to put conditions on disaster aid to California in the wake of deadly and devastating fires in the Los Angeles area. Some House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., have signaled interest in the same.
“Senator, I don’t engage in hypotheticals, but the president would never ask me to do something along those lines,” Vought told Hassan Wednesday.
“Well, history speaks a little bit differently to that point,” Hassan replied.
?Savannah Kuchar
Bipartisan support for Ratcliffe CIA bid
John Ratcliffe won bipartisan support on the Senate Intelligence Committee as he widespread reforms the CIA and promised he would not hire or fire employees based on their political views.
Ratcliffe’s pledge, made repeatedly in response to questions from committee Democrats, may put him at odds with Trump and some of the president-elect's other national security picks who have vowed to test intelligence officials based on their support of Trump.
But Ratcliffe, citing his time as Director of National Intelligence in Trump's first administration, said he will not waver.
"If you look at my record as DNI, that never took place. That is never something anyone has alleged, and it is something that I would never do," Ratcliffe told the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia.
?Josh Meyer
More: Trump loyalist John Ratcliffe sails through CIA director confirmation hearing
Bondi ‘terrified’ of potential ISIS attack
Pam Bondi, Trump’s choice for attorney general, told her Senate confirmation hearing she is “terrified” of a potential ISIS attack on the United States.
A U.S. citizen who claimed membership in ISIS rammed a rental truck into a crowd in New Orleans on Jan. 1 and killed 14 people.
Former FBI Director Christopher Wray told CBS’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday a threat like that inspired from afar is one of the most challenging types of terrorist the agency faces.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked whether Bondi worried about an attack on the homeland by ISIS or its affiliates.
“Only from the public reporting that I’ve seen, I’m terrified,” said Bondi, who does not yet have a security clearance.
--Bart Jansen
Bondi calls Schiff ‘reckless’
Another feisty exchange erupted between Sen. Adam Schiff and Pam Bondi, Trump’s choice to become attorney general, over whether she would investigate or destroy evidence from the investigation of the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.
“Are you frightened because evidence was destroyed against President Trump that was false?” Bondi replied. “I can’t believe you’re asking such a question.”
Schiff, D-Calif., who investigated the Jan. 6 attack while serving in the House, said a Supreme Court decision granting presidents immunity for official acts could allow Trump to order the investigate former special counsel Jack Smith. Schiff asked Bondi if she would investigate Smith, secured an indictment against Trump that was dismissed after he won the election.
Bondi said it would be irresponsible to answer but that politics would play no role in prosecutions.
The exchange grew more heated as Schiff accused her of being unable to tell Trump who won the 2020 election or not to pardon Jan. 6 defendants.
“You were censured by Congress, senator, for comments like this, that are so reckless,” Bondi said.
--Bart Jansen
Duffy dismisses concerns about Project 2025
Towards the end of the Transportation Secretary confirmation hearing, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., raised concerns about Project 2025, an extensive 920-page plan put together by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, that aims to reshape the federal government. She asked Duffy whether he assures he won’t prioritize actions in Project 2025 that would undermine safety for consumer protections.
But Duffy waved off her concerns, saying that Project 2025 is not Trump’s agenda.
More: Southwest Airlines sued, Frontier fined over flight delays in DOT’s latest crackdown
“I have never read Project 2025, so I'm not sure what's in it, but the president's going to decide policy, and he made me the secretary…the President stepped away from it. It's not part of - it hasn't been part of his agenda," he said.
Though Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025, which critics have called “authoritarian,” many officials from his previous administration helped work up the plan.
-- Sudiksha Kochi
Bondi clashes with Padilla, says won’t be bullied
A fiery clash erupted when Sen. Alex Padilla asked Pam Bondi, Trump’s choice for attorney general, repeatedly about elections and immigration, seeking yes or no answers, and cut off her longer attempts to answer.
Bondi had traveled to Philadelphia a day after the 2020 election to claim Trump had won Pennsylvania while votes were still being counted. President Joe Biden eventually won the state.
Padilla, D-Calif., asked whether Bondi had any evidence of election fraud or wanted to retract her statement, yes or no. But Bondi couldn’t get a word in edgewise as he interrupted.
“You pointed your finger at me said you were speaking,” Bondi said. “I’m not going to be bullied by you Sen. Padilla.”
Padilla also asked about her familiarity with the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which provides citizenship to people born in the U.S.
“Senator, I’m here to answer your questions, I’m not here to do your homework and study for you,” Bondi said.
--Bart Jansen
Who is Russell Vought?
Russell Vought served as Office of Management and Budget director in Trump’s first term. The president-elect tapped Vought, 48, to return to the position and once again oversee the president’s budget, federal regulations and the White House’s coordination with government agencies.
Between Trump administrations, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, an advocacy group dedicated to furthering the GOP leader’s agenda.
He is also credited as author of a 25-page chapter on executive power for Project 2025 – which Trump repeatedly denied association with throughout his 2024 campaign. Democrats are expected to press him on the controversial policy blueprint in today’s hearing.
Vought appears this afternoon before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee, led by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
-- Savannah Kuchar
Bondi: 'No one will be prosecuted, investigated because they are a political opponent.'
Bondi said Wednesday that she hasn't had any discussions with President-elect Donald Trump about seeking to prosecute President Joe Biden or members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, including now-California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and former Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney.
Bondi was responding to questions from Vermont Democratic Sen. Peter Welch, who asked for her assurance that the Justice Department won't try to pursue political adversaries over the next four years.
In August, Trump shared memes on his Truth Social media platform calling for the House committee to be indicted and depicting Biden and other political rivals in jumpsuits.
"Every case will be done on a case-by-case basis," Bondi said. "No one should be prosecuted for political purposes. Absolutely not."
– Aysha Bagchi
Duffy says he’d allow Musk’s Tesla vehicles to continue to be investigated
Transportation Secretary nominee Sean Duffy said that he’d allow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to continue its investigation into Tesla vehicles, regardless of outside political pressure, when asked by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass.
The investigation came after reports of multiple crashes caused by a feature that allows drivers to control their cars remotely.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has become an influential voice in the incoming Trump administration and a member of Trump’s inner circle.
“Yes, I commit to this committee and to you that I will let (NHTSA) do their investigation. And I think I also mentioned to you that a lot of the players in these spaces, I haven't met any of them,” Duffy said. “So yes, it's going to be a lot of pressure here.”
- Sudiksha Kochi
Rubio: U.S. position on Ukraine war is not realistic, concessions must be made
Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio argued it should be the official position of the United States that the Ukraine-Russia war should be brought to an end. Rubio, currently a Florida GOP senator, also defended Trump’s push for accelerated negotiations.
The Biden administration's approach to the war on Ukraine aid is “not a realistic” position, Rubio said, nor is it realistic to believe that Ukraine will be able to forcibly remove troops from a nation the size of Russia from the territory it has taken.
“Now what that master plan looks like is going to be hard work,” he said. “My hope is that it can begin with some cease fire.”
Rubio also told his Senate colleagues: “There will have to be concessions made by the Russian Federation, but also by the Ukrainians…It's also important that there be some balance on both sides.”
– Francesca Chambers
Democratic senators target Trump FBI pick Kash Patel at Bondi hearing
Speaking at Pam Bondi's confirmation hearing, Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said she has "serious concerns" about Trump's pick to head the FBI, Kash Patel. Patel's confirmation hearing hasn't yet been scheduled.
Klobuchar voiced alarm about comments from Patel that the FBI's intelligence division is "the biggest problem" the bureau – which falls within the Justice Department – has had.
"I have not seen those comments from Mr. Patel," Bondi responded. " I would review them, but we have to do everything we can to protect our country. Again, Mr. Patel would fall under me and the Department of Justice, and I will ensure that all laws are followed, and so will he."
Klobuchar suggested that assurance wasn't enough.
"While I agree you would be the boss of Kash Patel, I'm not sure that you would be able to intervene with every decision or position that he had, or know what he's doing," Klobuchar said.
Later, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut also questioned Patel's fitness, pointing to comments from Patel on a list of people belonging to the "deep state" that he thinks should be targeted.
Bondi said if both she and Patel are confirmed, he will follow the law.
– Aysha Bagchi
Rubio warns ICC could try to arrest Americans next
The International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes is a “test run” of its power to prosecute the head of state of nonmember nations that could be used against the United States in the future, Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio warned at his confirmation hearing.
If the ICC doesn’t drop this, he said, its credibility will be damaged. “And I think the United States should be very concerned, because I believe this is a test run for applying it to American service members and American leaders in the future.”
Neither Israel nor the United States are party to the international treaty that established the ICC.
– Francesca Chambers
Duffy adds possible Hawaii and Alaska trips to his to-do list
Trump Transportation Secretary nominee Sean Duffy made clear with Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, that he would work in a bipartisan fashion as it relates to transportation policy. However, he also joked with the Democrat.
“I think you mandated that I go to Hawaii to see you,” Duffy said, to which Schatz replied, “I'll issue my demand letter shortly.”
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, later invited Duffy on a trip to Alaska, saying he can bring his family and go salmon fishing. “Maybe you go after your trip to Hawaii, but will you come to my state and see these challenges, because they're real challenges,” he asked.
“I would come to Alaska, and I promise you, I will not sing…I sang to him in the office,” Duffy said.
- Sudiksha Kochi
Boeing mid-air scare takes center stage in Transportation hearing
Both Democratic and Republican senators pressed Sean Duffy, Donald Trump's choice for Transportation Secretary, how he plans to improve Boeing after an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet lost a door panel mid-flight last year. The Federal Aviation Administration has maintained tougher oversight over Boeing since the incident.
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, asked what steps Duffy would take to get Boeing back on track.
“You have to push the FAA to make sure they're implementing their safety plan,” said Duffy.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, of Washington ? home to Boeing ? said the Federal Aviation Administration under prior administrations hasn’t pushed for a strong safety management culture. Duffy said if that's what it takes to get a "better safety record at Boeing, I'm on board."
?Sudiksha Kochi
Bondi can’t talk about TikTok ban
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked Bondi if she would enforce the congressional ban on TikTok that goes into effect Sunday if the social media company isn’t divested from its Chinese parent, ByteDance.
Trump has said he would “save” TikTok and the solicitor general in his first administration, Noel Francisco, represented TikTok while asking the Supreme Court to delay implementation of the law.
“I can’t discuss pending litigation,” Bondi said. “But I will talk to all the career officials – prosecutors – who are handling the case, absolutely.”
?Bart Jansen
More: Lawmakers urge Biden to extend Jan. 19 deadline for TikTok ban: 'Not the answer'
Trump energy pick pushes fossil fuels
Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to head the Energy Department, told senators in his confirmation hearing on Wednesday his first priority is expanding domestic energy production including liquefied natural gas and nuclear power.
Wright, 60, believes fossil fuels are the key to ending world poverty, which is a greater problem than climate change's "distant" threat, according to a report he wrote as CEO of oilfield services company Liberty Energy.
The hearing was briefly stopped several times by protesters, with at least one shouting about the deadly fires in Los Angeles and the role fossil fuels play in global warming.
Wright supports some fossil fuel alternatives, such as small nuclear power reactors, which are not yet commercially available, and geothermal power. But he has criticized solar and wind power as insufficient.
?Reuters
More: Wildfire weary Los Angeles residents face 'last really windy day': Live updates
Rubio's opening remarks draw protests, laughs
Sen. Marco Rubio’s introductory remarks were interrupted three times by protesters, who were quickly escorted out of the hearing room. One shouted in Spanish at Rubio – who is Cuban-American – prompting him to joke that he gets bilingual protests.
“That’s a first here for us, at least in recent times,” Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, replied to laughter.
Risch also said he had a goodbye gift for his colleague as the hearing got underway. It is expected to be Rubio’s last with the committee, of which he is also a member, before he joins the Trump administration.
“I thank you, and I hope I can earn your support, whether it's because you believe I would do a good job, or because you want to get rid of me,” Rubio told senators as he concluded his remarks.
?Francesca Chambers
Bondi: ‘Politics will not play a part’ in Justice Department
Another former prosecutor, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said attorneys general of both parties prevented White House interference with criminal investigations and asked Bondi if she would continue that policy.
“Yes, I believe that the Justice Department must be independent and must act independently,” Bondi said. “The No. 1 job is to enforce the law fairly and evenhandedly, and that’s what will be done if I am confirmed as the attorney general.”
“Politics will not play a part,” Bondi added. “I’ve demonstrated that my entire career as a prosecutor, as attorney general and I will continue to do that.”
?Bart Jansen
'Great bipartisan love’: Sean Duffy’s hearing opens in a lighthearted manner
Sean Duffy, Trump’s transportation secretary pick, introduced his family, including his five-year-old daughter Valentina, to senators in his opening remarks.
Duffy resigned from Congress in 2019 a few months before Valentina was born, announcing that he had learned she had health issues, including a heart condition, and that he wanted to support his family. She was born with Down syndrome.
“She, no doubt, is our family's favorite,” he said. “She was hugging Senator Baldwin on the way in, showing great bipartisan love. Hopefully, she'll be behaved for the hearing today.”
?Sudiksha Kochi
Durbin asks Bondi about pardons for Jan. 6 defendants
Citing President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to pardon defendants from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., asked Bondi if she would support clemency for people who attacked police officers.
“I have not seen any of those files, of course,” Bondi said. "If confirmed and if asked to advise the president, I will look at each and every file.”
“I condemn any violence on a law enforcement officer in this country,” Bondi added.
?Bart Jansen
More: Will Donald Trump pardon January 6 Capitol rioters? Here's what he has said
Watch live: Confirmation hearings for Marco Rubio, John Ratcliffe and Sean Duffy
Senate Intelligence Committee tells Trump CIA nominee Ratcliffe change is needed
The Senate Intelligence Committee opened its nomination hearing for John Ratcliffe, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the CIA, by saying it needs to do more to address a range of global threats.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., the committee chair, kicked things off by saying the CIA has repeatedly failedin its core mission of “stealing secrets … handling spies … hacking computers.”
“Suffice it to say, we’re too often in the dark,” Cotton said, citing the intelligence community’s failure to predict the fall of Syrian strongman Bashar Assad and other geopolitical events. “The CIA must get back to its roots."
Ratcliffe is considered well-qualified for the job and an easy confirmation for what is essentially the top operational intelligence position in the government. He served as Director of National Intelligence during Trump’s first term, which oversees all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies including the CIA.
Ratcliffe is also a former federal prosecutor and was a staunch Trump ally during his time representing Texas, where he was a member of the House Intelligence Committee. If approved, he will succeed outgoing CIA Director William Burns.
?Josh Meyer
Bondi won't say Joe Biden won 2020 election
Bondi refused to say President Joe Biden won the 2020 election, although she acknowledged he "was duly sworn in."
The refusal came after Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois pressed her on the topic.
"I accept, of course, that Joe Biden is President of the United States, but what I can tell you is what I saw firsthand when I went to Pennsylvania as an advocate for the campaign," Bondi said.
In 2020, Bondi helped fuel Trump's false claims that widespread fraud stole the election when she spoke at a press conference in Pennsylvania alongside Eric Trump and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. There, as votes were still being counted, Bondi said she was concerned about poll watchers gaining access election sites and falsely claimed, "We've won Pennsylvania and we want every vote to be counted in a fair way."
Results showed Joe Biden won Pennsylvania. Numerous recounts and audits have since confirmed Biden's 2020 victory. Bondi didn't cite any specifics Wednesday as she refused to rebut Trump's false claims about the 2020 voting outcome.
"I was an advocate for the campaign, and I was on the ground in Pennsylvania, and I saw many things there. But do I accept the results? Of course, I do," Bondi said.
"Do I agree with what happened, and..." Bondi continued, trailing off. "I saw so much."
– Aysha Bagchi
Durbin asks Bondi about potential lobbying conflicts
The top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, asked Bondi how she would deal with potential conflicts involving former clients from her lobbying at Ballard Partners.
The firm was paid $115,000 per month for a period by the government of Qatar. Bondi said many people worked under the contract and that she was proud of her work against human trafficking leading up to the World Cup.
Durbin also asked about a potential conflict with the GEO Group, a private prison company he said stands to receive millions of dollars from detaining immigrants under President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportations.
“If there are any conflicts with anyone I represented in private practice, I would consult with the career ethics officials within the department and make the appropriate decision,” Bondi said.
?Bart Jansen
Bondi pledges ‘one tier of justice for all’
In her opening statement, Bondi said she would fight every day to restore confidence and integrity at the Justice Department.
Grassley, R-Iowa, had complained about the “weaponization” of the department leading to investigations of protesters at abortion clinics and at school board meetings. Republicans have also alleged a two-tier system of justice that treats defendants differently.
“The partisanship, the weaponization will be gone,” Bondi said. “America will have one tier of justice for all.”
Bondi began by introducing a slew of relatives in the audience and reeled off the names of five female friends and mentioned former coworkers.
“Ranking member Durbin, if you want to get dirt on me, these women have known me since I was a child,” Bondi said.
?Bart Jansen
'Rot infesting the Department of Justice': Grassley opens with litany of GOP grievances
Grassley's opening remarks laid out a litany of Republican grievances against the Justice Department and the FBI, including investigations of Donald Trump that led to two federal indictments of the now president-elect.
The committee's chairman accused the department of leaking information from special counsel Robert Mueller's 2016-2019 investigation into Russian election interference as recently as last August to hurt Trump's 2024 election chances ? while "stiff-arming" congressional requests for information that would embarrass the Biden administration.
Grassley assailed what he said were prosecutions of people peacefully praying outside an abortion clinic and investigations into parents who expressed concern about school curriculum choices and COVID-19 mandates. He accused DOJ of putting "undue pressure" on social media platforms to censor users.
"These are only a few particularly egregious examples of rot infesting the Department of Justice," Grassley said. "The impact to this political infection in our once storied law enforcement institutions is catastrophic"
– Aysha Bagchi
Durbin: Would you tell President Trump 'No'?
The top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, said he would question Pam Bondi about her independence from Trump after she joined him trying to overturn the 2020 election and repeatedly called investigations of him “witch hunts.”
“This time around, President-elect Trump has vowed not just to use the Justice Department to advance his political interests, but also to seek ‘retribution’ against ‘the enemy within,’” Durbin said. “I need to know you would tell the president ‘No’ if you were asked to do something that is wrong, illegal or unconstitutional.”
Durbin also planned to ask Bondi about her lobbying for major firms including Uber and Amazon, and the embassy of Qatar.
?Bart Jansen
And we're off
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, gavels in the first of a marathon of Wednesday confirmation hearings, with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in the hotseat at the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Dem senators are warm to Marco Rubio
While Trump's second-term appointments include a number of controversial figures ? think Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ? Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is at the other end of the trouble spectrum. His Senate colleagues like and trust him.
“I think that will be the closest hearing that’s a lovefest of any of the confirmation hearings. I can't say that about the other ones,” Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said.
A former presidential candidate and senator of 14 years who served as vice chair of the Senate's famously bipartisan intelligence committee, Rubio is one of Trump’s only Cabinet picks expected to win widespread Democratic support.
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, who chaired the Intelligence Committee when Rubio served as ranking member, praised Rubio in a statement as someone who would be a “strong voice for American interests around the globe.”
“While we don't align on the issues of foreign policy, I know his values, I know his work ethic, there's so many things I respect about Sen. Rubio that make me very inclined to support him,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said.
?Francesca Chambers
More: Marco Rubio, Trump's choice for secretary of state, has broad support
Who is Pam Bondi?
President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Justice Department, ex-Florida Attorney General and corporate lobbyist Pam Bondi, is set to face formal questioning from senators as her confirmation hearing kicks off at 9 a.m.
Bondi, who was a defense lawyer for Trump in his first impeachment trial, is generally expected to be confirmed after Trump's controversial first pick – former Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz – dropped out. Gaetz faced accusations that he paid women for sex and had sex with a minor. Gaetz has said he gave money to women he dated and strongly denied having intercourse with someone underage.
Still, Bondi could face tough questions about her significant corporate lobbying record and whether she is committed to the Justice Department's independence. Trump critics have expressed concern that he may seek prosecutions against his political rivals and personal foes following the four criminal cases he faced in recent years, which have largely dissolved in the wake of his November election victory.
?Aysha Bagchi
More: Who is Pam Bondi? Trump AG pick to face senators' questions in confirmation hearing
Hegseth wins key senator's support
Sen. Joni Ernst, who had been cool to Hegseth when Trump first named him in November, was cordial during his hearing and by Tuesday night announced her support.
"I will be supporting President Trump's pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth," Ernst told Iowa radio host Simon Conway.
More: Assault allegations, women in combat: Takeaways from Hegseth confirmation hearing
Hegseth "was adequately able to answer questions on the issues," she said.
Ernst, along with Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, was one of three Republican senators who seen as possible "No" votes. Republicans have a three-vote majority in the Senate, with Vice President-elect JD Vance as a tie-breaker after Jan. 20.
?Cybele Mayes-Osterman
More: Sen. Joni Ernst, once critical, says she will vote for Pete Hegseth for defense secretary
What time do the confirmation hearings start on Wednesday?
The hearings are set to begin with Pam Bondi at the Senate Judiciary Committee at 9:30 a.m.
When is John Ratcliffe's confirmation hearing for CIA director?
Ratcliffe's hearing starts at 10 a.m.
More: CIA director nominee John Ratcliffe’s confirmation hearing: What to know, how to watch.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pam Bondi survives testy Senate grilling: Recap