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11m ago

Bondi Defies Senate Questioning in Combative DOJ Oversight Hearing

The clash over Justice Department independence sharpened with dueling claims of weaponization from both parties.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Oct. 7 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Attorney General Pam Bondi listens as President Donald Trump signs a presidential memorandum on the death penalty in the District of Columbia in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Special Counsel Jack Smith delivers remarks on a recently unsealed indictment including four felony counts against former U.S. President Donald Trump on August 1, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Overview

  • Attorney General Pam Bondi repeatedly refused to answer Democrats’ questions in a tense Senate Judiciary session, sidestepping inquiries on prosecutions, personnel removals, and legal analyses tied to recent operations.
  • Republicans highlighted FBI records released by Chairman Chuck Grassley showing Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team in 2023 analyzed phone‑record metadata for several GOP senators, which Bondi condemned as an unconstitutional abuse and which some Republicans said warrants further inquiry.
  • The indictment of former FBI Director James Comey is proceeding with a first court appearance set for Wednesday, following the Justice Department’s ouster of Eastern District of Virginia leader Erik Siebert and his replacement by Lindsey Halligan.
  • Democrats accused Bondi of politicizing the department and eroding its independence, citing President Trump’s public calls for prosecutions and invoking warnings from nearly 300 former DOJ employees who urged rigorous congressional oversight and reported widespread departures.
  • Bondi defended her tenure as a return to fighting “real crime” and declined to discuss conversations about the Comey case, questions about the Tom Homan sting cash, requests to release more Epstein files, or the legal rationale for National Guard deployments and open‑sea strikes.