Democrats pressed her on whether she could maintain the department's independence from the White House and say no to the president if asked to do something unethical, while Republicans welcomed her as a course correction for a Justice Department they believe has pursued a liberal agenda and unfairly pursued Trump through investigations resulting in two indictments. The line of questioning laid bare what Democrats see as the stakes of Bondi's appointment, particularly given the pressure Trump wielded on his Justice Department during his first term to advance his personal interests, including by demanding that the then-FBI director abandon an investigation into an ally and by firing his first attorney general following his recusal from an investigation into Trump's 2016 campaign. "I need to know that you would tell the president 'no' if you're asked to do something that's wrong, illegal or unconstitutional," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the committee's top Democrat, noting that Bondi represented Trump during the first of two Senate impeachment trials.
Author: ERIC TUCKER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
Published at: 2025-01-15 23:15:00
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