News

A.G. Nominee Pam Bondi Refuses To Say If Trump Lost 2020 Election At Senate Hearing, Calls Last Transition ‘Peaceful’

President-elect Donal Trump’s Attorney General pick, Pam Bondi, dodged a question in her confirmation hearing on Wednesday about whether he lost the 2020 election.

Despite the events of Jan. 6, 2021, Bondi described the transition after the 2020 election as “peaceful.” She said that the president had been “targeted” for political reasons during President Joe Biden’s administration, an attack on Trump’s twin indictments. Bondi has been widely seen as openly sharing Trump’s belief that the 2020 election was “stolen.”

When asked by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) in Wednesday’s confirmation hearing if she believed Trump lost the 2020 election, Bondi gave a response that did not satisfy Durbin.

“What I can tell you is what I saw firsthand when I went to Pennsylvania to advocate for the campaign,” Bondi said. “I saw many things there. But do I accept the results? Of course, I do.”

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

“I think that question deserved yes or no, and I think the length of your answer is an indication that you weren’t prepared to answer yes,” Durbin responded.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) suggested that Bondi offered politically convenient answers.

“I’m not going to sit up here and say anything that I need to get confirmed by this body,” she said. “I will answer the question to the best of my ability.”

The attorney general nominee also deflected questions about whether or not she would prosecute the prosecutors who have gone after Trump.

Bondi’s loyalty to Trump has raised concerns in the Justice Department, which takes pride in its independence from the White House.

Bondi promised that “politics will not play a part” in her work at the confirmation hearing. She told senators that, if confirmed as Trump’s A.G., she would end the Justice Department’s “weaponization.”

“Politics has to be removed from this system,” she said. “This department has been weaponized for years and years and years, and it has to stop.”

“They targeted Donald Trump. They went after him, actually, starting back in 2016, they targeted his campaign,” she said. “They have launched countless investigations against him. 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.”

Additionally, Bondi clarified that FBI director nominee Kash Patel would answer directly to her and the Justice Department. She suggested upholding policies that would limit the White House’s contacts with department officials and not allow the FBI to pursue inquiries on Trump’s behalf that are not politically motivated.

Subscribe to uPolitics free weekly email for the latest political news!

Let us know what you think of the story in the comments below – join the conversation!

Angie Schlager

Recent Posts

VIDEO: U.S. & Russian Officials Meet In Saudi Arabia To Discuss Ending War In Ukraine

https://youtu.be/3LA4KzaO1oA U.S. and Russian officials met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday to discuss an…

56 mins ago

VIDEO: Anti-Trump Protesters Outside Pennsylvania State Capitol On Presidents Day Chant ‘No Kings’

https://youtu.be/mFMbio1bNHc Protesters gathered outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol on Monday, as part of a nationwide…

16 hours ago

After Outcry, State Department Drops Plans To Buy $400 Million Of Tesla Armored Electric Vehicles

The U.S. Department of State had been in discussions with Tesla, Elon Musk’s electric vehicle…

16 hours ago

Linda McMahon Refuses To Say If Black History Courses Will Be Allowed Under Trump Administration

During Linda McMahon's Senate confirmation hearing, the former WWE executive refused to answer whether black…

17 hours ago

After Mitch McConnell Votes Against Trump’s Cabinet Nominees, Trump Calls Him Mentally Unequipped, Says He ‘Doesn’t Know’ If He Had Polio

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) voted against President Donald Trump’s nominations for three crucial Cabinet votes:…

17 hours ago

Trump Alarms Critics Using Napoleon Quote, Suggesting He’s Above The Law

On Saturday, President Donald Trump posted the quote, “He who saves his Country does not…

21 hours ago