Bondi spars with Schiff at testy confirmation hearing: ‘You were censured’

Pam Bondi, President-elect Trump's nominee to pb the Department of Justice, was progressive successful a crisp clash with Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., connected Wednesday arsenic the California legislator quizzed Bondi implicit whether she would prosecute Trump's governmental opponents.

Schiff, a vocal professional of the president-elect, asked Bondi astir whether she would analyse erstwhile Special Counsel Jack Smith and besides erstwhile Rep. Liz Cheney.

"I'm asking you sitting present contiguous whether you are alert of a factual predicate to analyse Liz Cheney," helium said.

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"Senator, nary 1 asked maine to analyse Liz Cheney, that is simply a hypothetical," she said.

She past turned the tables connected Schiff, noting the transgression complaint successful California.

"You cognize what we should beryllium disquieted about? The transgression complaint successful California is done the roof. Your robberies are 87% higher than the nationalist average," she said. "That's what I privation to absorption on, senator."

Schiff said that Bondi's answers suggested she doesn’t person the independency to accidental "no" to the president. He past asked her if she would archer Trump helium mislaid the 2020 election. Bondi accused Schiff of "playing politics" and of leaking Rep. Devin Nunes' memo.

"What I tin archer you is I volition ne'er play politics, you're trying to prosecute maine successful a gotcha," she said.

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Schiff changeable back, asking her if she would counsel against broad pardons by President-elect Trump and suggesting she would not beryllium capable to look astatine each record connected time one.

"You'll beryllium capable to reappraisal hundreds of cases connected time one. … Of people you won't," Schiff said.

Bondi was furious astatine Schiff's comments.

"I’m not going to mislead this assemblage oregon you, you were censured by Congress, senator, for comments conscionable similar this that are truthful reckless," she said. 

Schiff was censured successful 2023 for promoting claims that Trump's 2016 statesmanlike run colluded with Russia, a ballot that made Schiff conscionable the 3rd subordinate of the House to beryllium censured since the crook of the century.

The incidental was 1 of a fig of crisp exchanges that the erstwhile Florida AG had with Democrat lawmakers. She was asked by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., astir the weaponization of the DOJ.

"It would not beryllium due for a authoritative to commencement with a sanction and look for a crime?" Whitehouse said during his enactment of questioning. "It's a prosecutor's occupation to commencement with a transgression and look for a name. Correct?"

Bondi responded by highlighting the national government’s investigations into Trump.

"Senator, I deliberation that is the full occupation with the weaponization that we person seen the past 4 years and what's been happening to Donald Trump," Bondi said.