AG Pam Bondi Clashes with Senate Judiciary Over DOJ Politicization, Comey Indictment

Attorney General Pam Bondi faced a contentious Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, underscoring the deep partisan chasm over the integrity and independence of the US justice system. Both Democrats and Republicans leveled accusations of weaponizing the Justice Department, frequently talking past one another in a fiery exchange.

Democrats pressed Bondi on allegations that President Donald Trump directly influenced prosecutions of his political adversaries, pointing to last month’s indictment of former FBI Director James Comey and Trump’s recent social media post urging action against political enemies. They also questioned the deployment of National Guard troops in blue states and the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Bondi, however, maintained a defensive stance, deflecting questions and launching personal attacks against her Democratic questioners, including Senator Richard Blumenthal and Senator Mazie Hirono.

Republicans, conversely, accused the Biden Justice Department of politicization, citing the recent release of documents revealing that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation obtained call records of eight Senate Republicans. Bondi echoed these concerns, calling the disclosure a “betrayal of public trust” and suggesting a “two-tier system of justice” under the previous administration.

The hearing also delved into the impending arraignment of James Comey, set for Wednesday, on charges of allegedly lying to Congress. Bondi, while declining to discuss specifics, defended the indictment, noting it came from a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia. Senator Lindsey Graham, a former Judiciary Committee chairman, defended the investigation into Comey, reiterating long-standing grievances over Comey’s conduct during the FBI’s Russia investigation.

Amidst accusations of impropriety and political maneuvering from both sides, the hearing highlighted the profound lack of consensus on the appropriate role and independence of the Justice Department, with Bondi asserting that the “American people spoke loud and clear when they overwhelmingly elected him. The two-tier system of justice is over.”

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