Senate Judiciary Committee recommends Pam Bondi be confirmed as Attorney General

Pam Bondi. Image via AP.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has recommended Pam Bondi be confirmed as the next U.S. Attorney General, advancing her nomination on a party-line 12-10 vote.

“Her record and her testimony showed the American people that she will follow through and enforce the law fairly, without fear or favor,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican and Chair of the committee.

Grassley cited testimony from Florida officials who worked with Bondi during her eight years as Florida Attorney General. He made special note of Democrat Dave Aronberg, a former Palm Beach State Attorney, and Florida’s statewide prosecutor, Nicholas Cox, testifying to Bondi’s character.

But the Committee broke largely along party lines, with Democrats voting against her recommendation.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the committee’s ranking Democratic member, said his greatest concern was whether Bondi will prioritize loyalty to President Donald Trump over the rule of law. He said the removal of more than 20 career prosecutors from the Department of Justice since Trump’s inauguration already showed the administration will run roughshod over federal statutes.

“It is absolutely critical that any nominee for the position be committed, first and foremost, to the Constitution and the American people, not the President and his political agenda,” Durbin said. “Unfortunately, I’m unconvinced that Ms. Bondi shares my belief.”

Durbin expressed dismay that Ed Martin, Trump’s pick for U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, already dropped any ongoing investigations of individuals for their actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Meanwhile, Martin has started investigations of prosecutors who were bringing charges, which Durbin saw as acting on Bondi’s promise to “prosecute the prosecutors, investigate the investigators.”

The vote Wednesday marked the first by U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, Florida’s newly sworn junior Senator. She defended Bondi’s record as Florida Attorney General, an office Moody held for six years after Bondi’s two terms in statewide office.

“It’s been suggested she may not stand up to large corporations or business interests,” Moody said. “But I would remind everyone that as Florida’s Attorney General, she worked in a bipartisan fashion with Attorneys General from both parties to go after and bring recoveries to Americans and certainly Floridians. She was the tip of the spear on some of our largest battles.

“She was a trailblazer. She never compromised her integrity, prosecutorial independence or fidelity to the rule of law. And I would tell you, everyone in Florida would say she never backed down from a challenge, no matter how large the corporation on the other side, no matter how who you were, how much money was in your bank account, how big your business was. If you were harming Floridians, she was going to go after you.”

Democrats still voiced concerns, prefacing a likely party-line vote on the floor.

“The American people need and deserve to have faith that the Department of Justice enforces the law fairly neutrally and free from political interference,” said U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat. “We need and deserve an attorney general who will push back against illegal, immoral and unethical requests. And unfortunately, I don’t believe Ms Bondi is up to the task. But with that being said, I do hope one thing, because she seems very likely to be confirmed. I hope she proves me wrong.”