Attorney General Pam Bondi testified for a tense 4 and a half hours before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
Bondi faced tough questioning during her first appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee since her confirmation, as Democrats pressed her on the Justice Department’s independence and handling of politically sensitive cases.
Over nearly five hours of testimony, Bondi declined to directly answer questions about potential discussions she had with the White House regarding investigations involving President Donald Trump’s political adversaries including former FBI Director James Comey, who was indicted last week on charges of making false statements and obstruction.
The effort to prosecute Comey has drawn scrutiny after it led to upheaval in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, where a top prosecutor was replaced by a Trump aide shortly before the indictment.
Bondi also sidestepped repeated questions about her handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in federal custody in 2019. Lawmakers have sought additional information after the Justice Department earlier this year declined to release more records in the case, frustrating both Democrats and some Republicans.
Throughout the hearing, Bondi defended the Trump administration’s record on crime and immigration enforcement. In one of the most heated exchanges of the day, she sparred with Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the committee’s top Democrat, over the president’s decision to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago without state approval.
“If you’re not going to protect your citizens, President Trump will,” Bondi told Durbin.
The attorney general also dismissed suggestions that the department’s actions were politically motivated, saying its mission was to “enforce the law without fear or favor.”
The hearing concluded Tuesday afternoon after nearly five hours of questioning. Acting Committee Chair Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., thanked Bondi for her testimony and offered her a chance for closing remarks.
“They may try to destroy our country, but they won’t,” Bondi said in her final statement. “They won’t be successful, nor will our foreign adversaries, because we have the greatest president in Donald Trump, and he will make America safe again and he will keep us safe.”
