US Attorney General candidate Pam Bondi clashed with a prominent Democratic senator during her confirmation hearing to lead the Justice Department on Wednesday.
Bondi was forced to defend President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the FBI. Cash BattleWhen Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., pressed her about his previous comments.
He cited Patel's proposal to close FBI headquarters and the “enemies list” threat, among other statements.
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Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general nominee, and Senator Richard Blumenthal clashed during her confirmation hearing. (Getty Images)
“Is this the person who should, appropriately, be the director of the FBI? Aren't those comments inappropriate? Shouldn't you disavow them and ask him to retract them?” Blumenthal hit.
“Senator, I am not aware of all those comments. I did not discuss those comments with Mr. Patel,” Bondi responded.
“What I do know is Mr. Patel…” she began before Blumenthal tried to cut her off.
“Excuse me,” Bondi pressed. “What I do know is that Mr. Patel was a career prosecutor. He was a career public defender, defending people. He also had a lot of experience in the intelligence community.”
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President-elect Donald Trump is pressuring the Senate to confirm his nominees. (Donald Trump 2024 campaign)
“What I can sit here and tell you is, Mr. Patel, if he worked for the FBI, if he were confirmed, and if I was confirmed, he would follow the law. If I were the attorney general of the United States, I don't think he would do anything other than that,” Bondy said. “
“Well, let me just emphasize that the response I was hoping to hear from you is that those comments are inappropriate, and that you will ask him to disavow them or retract them when he comes before this committee, because it's really scary for fair enforcement and the rule of law,” Blumenthal responded. “.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-I., follows suit Bondi pressed On what Democrats called Patel's “enemies list.”
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They point to a list of 60 people in Patel's book, State Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy, whom he described as part of the “deep state.”
Bondi defended Patel during Whitehouse's questioning as well, while vowing that there would never be an “enemies list” in the Justice Department.
