Overview
- Attorney General Pam Bondi faced combative questioning as she defended her tenure and said the Justice Department is “returning to our core mission,” rejecting accusations of politicized prosecutions.
- Senators focused on the recent indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, which followed the ouster of EDVA U.S. attorney Erik Siebert and installation of Lindsey Halligan; Comey is due in court Wednesday and Bondi declined to discuss her talks with the president or personnel moves.
- On the eve of the hearing, Chairman Chuck Grassley released FBI documents showing Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team tracked call metadata of eight Republican senators in 2023, prompting GOP calls for a special prosecutor and further hearings.
- Lawmakers pressed Bondi on transparency over the Jeffrey Epstein investigative materials, with bipartisan pressure for more disclosures despite a July DOJ/FBI position that no further releases are warranted, and Bondi saying there was “no client list.”
- Nearly 300 former DOJ employees issued a letter urging stronger congressional oversight and criticizing leadership changes and departures that they say have undermined long‑standing norms of independence.