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Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, said she won’t use the Justice Department to attack people based on their politics during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
“The Department of Justice will never have an enemies list,” she told senators when repeatedly pressed about her loyalty to Trump. “I will not politicize this office.”
But Bondi, who would become the nation’s top law enforcement officer if confirmed to the role by a Senate vote, did not outright rule out an investigation into those the president-elect has encountered.
“It would be irresponsible of me to commit to anything,” she said when asked if she would investigate Jack Smith, who led two criminal cases against Trump.
Trump repeatedly threatened to investigate and potentially prosecute his political enemies during the campaign.
Bondi, who is likely to be confirmed as the 87th U.S. attorney general given the Republican majority in the House, stressed throughout the hearing that she will remain independent.
But she echoed Trump’s view that the federal prosecution against him was political persecution, saying the agency “has been a weapon for years and years and years.”
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican, said the department was “infested with political decision-making” and said it was “weaponized” under the Biden administration, particularly against Trump.
Those descriptions were echoed by other Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Bondi agreed with their assessment.
Meanwhile, questions from Democratic senators focused on whether Bondi would say no to the president-elect.
“The concern is that during your tenure as Justice Department, there may very well be a weaponization,” Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse told Bondi. “We want to make sure it’s not like you stay independent.”
They also focused some of their questioning on FBI director nominee Cash Patel, who would report to Bondi if confirmed.
The FBI candidate said he has an “enemies list” of people he will pursue if proven guilty. Several senators asked Bondi about the comments, but she said she had not heard them and that the Justice Department would not have such a list.
Bondi also told the committee that she would consider possible pardons for those involved in the Capitol riots on a “case-by-case basis,” but added that she condemned “any violence against law enforcement officers in this country.”
The Attorney General is the head of the Department of Justice that enforces federal laws. If confirmed, Bondi will provide legal advice and opinions to the president and executive department heads.
A vote on her confirmation has not yet been scheduled, but is expected in the coming days.
On Wednesday, senators also interviewed Marco Rubio, who is expected to be confirmed as Trump’s secretary of state.
He warned that Washington must change course to avoid greater dependence on China and promised to overhaul US foreign policy to focus on American interests.
