Pam Bondi had a tense exchange with Democratic senators during her confirmation hearing. The 59-year-old was tapped by Donald Trump to serve as the US attorney general after his first pick, Matt Gaetz, bowed out of consideration. On Wednesday, she fended off onslaughts from Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla as they grilled her about her loyalty to the president-elect.
Pam Bondi hits back at Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla in fiery Senate confirmation hearing
Padilla questioned Bondi over her visit to Philadelphia in the aftermath of the 2020 election as the then-Florida attorney general. “Do you have any evidence of election fraud or irregularities in the 2020 election?” he asked, referring to her statement — “We've won Pennsylvania” — during a press conference appearance alongside Rudy Giuliani at the time.
As Bondi began answering, Padilla cut her off, prompting her to clap back with, “You pointed your finger at me and said you were speaking. Let me answer your question. I’m not going to be bullied by you, Senator Padilla.” However, the senator was unphased as he continued to talk over her, asking her about the 14th Amendment.
“Senator, I’m here to answer your questions, I’m not here to do your homework and study for you,” Bondi remarked as Padilla repeated his question. “Hey, you cut me off — can I please finish,” she added before saying, “14th Amendment.. we all know.. addresses birthright citizenship.”
{{/usCountry}}“Senator, I’m here to answer your questions, I’m not here to do your homework and study for you,” Bondi remarked as Padilla repeated his question. “Hey, you cut me off — can I please finish,” she added before saying, “14th Amendment.. we all know.. addresses birthright citizenship.”
{{/usCountry}}“I've been a state prosecutor, I've been a state AG,” Bondi reminded Padilla before adding, “I look forward to… even given your remarks today, working with you and the people of California.”
Bondi also had a tense back-and-forth with Schiff on whether she holds the capacity to say no to Trump. “My first set of questions has to do.. whether you have the independence to say no, when you must say no,” Schiff asked. After a brief exchange, Bondi clapped back with, “Your robberies are 87% higher than the national average — that’s what I want to focus on, senator.”
As Schiff ignored her and continued with the crosstalk, Bondi brought up his 2023 censure by the house. “I won’t play politics with any ongoing investigation like you did leaking your colleague Devon Nunes’ memo,” she continued, adding, “You were censured by Congress, senator, for comments just like this that are so reckless.”