Pam Bondi, Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, said she will not use the US Justice Department to target people based on their policies during her confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
“There will never be an enemies list inside the Department of Justice,” she told senators after being repeatedly pressed about her loyalty to Trump. “I will not politicize this position.”
But Bondi, who would become the nation's top law enforcement official if he is confirmed to the role by a Senate vote, did not directly rule out launching investigations into people the president-elect has clashed with.
“It would be irresponsible for me to promise anything,” she said when asked if she would investigate Jack Smith, who led two criminal cases against Trump.
Trump repeatedly threatened to investigate and possibly prosecute his political enemies during the election campaign.
Bondi, who is likely to be named the 87th U.S. attorney general given the Republican majority in the chamber, stressed throughout the session that she would remain independent.
But she echoed Trump's view that federal prosecutions against him are political persecution, saying the department “has been weaponized for years and years and years.”
Republican Senator from Iowa, Chuck Grassley, said the department had become “tainted by political decision-making,” and said it had been “weaponized” under the Biden administration, especially against Trump.
These descriptions were repeated by other Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Bondi agreed with their assessment.
Meanwhile, Democratic senators' questions focused on whether Bondi would say no to the president-elect.
“The concern is that using the Justice Department as a weapon could happen during your term,” Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse told Bondi. “We want to make sure that's not the case, and that you stay independent.”
They also focused part of their questioning on FBI director nominee Kash Patel, who, if confirmed, would report to Bondy.
The FBI nominee said he has an “enemies list” of people he would go after if confirmed. Several senators asked Bondi about those comments, but she said she had not heard of them and that the Justice Department would not have such a list.
Bondi also told the committee that she would consider potential pardons for the Capitol rioters “on a case-by-case basis” but added that she condemned “any violence against a law enforcement officer in this country.”
The Attorney General serves as the head of the Department of Justice, which enforces federal laws. If confirmed, Bondi will provide legal advice and opinions to the President and heads of executive departments.
A date for a vote on her confirmation has not yet been set, but it is expected to take place in the coming days.
On Wednesday, senators also questioned 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 reform US foreign policy to focus on American interests.
