Senate Democrats recently placed a hold on President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, making it uncertain when the confirmation vote will occur. Conservative commentators on social media suggested the move was a panicked reaction to Bondi’s confirmation hearing in which she shut down congressional Democrats when they grilled her before the Senate.
A clip from the hearing has gone viral on X, showing Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) pressing Bondi on various issues, such as concerns about former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) being investigated. Schiff said, “He jas called for it publicly. You are aware of that, aren’t you?” Bondi said, “No one has asked me to investigate Liz,” before wondering why Democrats are “so worried” about Cheney.
As Schiff continued, Bondi flipped the script, stating, “You know what we should be worried about? The crime rate in California now is through the roof. Your robberies are 87% higher than the national average.” As Schiff continued to speak over her, she vowed, “That’s what I want to be focused on, Senator, if I’m confirmed as attorney general.”
Schiff then said, “And what you’re suggesting today by your nonanswer is you don’t have the independence to say no to the President. So let me ask you a different question. Also requires you, if you’re going to be a good attorney general, to be able to tell hard truths to the President. So my questions now are, can you tell her truth to the President?”
“So let me start with an easy truth that you could speak to the President. Can you tell us? Can you tell him that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election? Can you say that? Do you have the independence to say that you have the gravitas, the stature, the intestinal fortitude to say, Donald Trump, you lost the 2020 election? Can you tell us that here today?” Schiff pressed on.
The nominee responded with confidence, refusing to let the California Democrat talk over her. “Senator, what I can tell you is, I will never play politics. You’re trying to engage me in a gotcha. I won’t play politics, with any ongoing investigation like you did leaking your colleague Devin Nunes’ memo,” she said, calling Schiff out on his own conduct as he tried to interject.
In another moment, the two sparred over pardoning January 6 protestors, during which Schiff expressed skepticism that each case would be reviewed. “I will look at every file I am asked to look at,” Bondi said as Schiff interrupted. Of course, you won’t.” The nominee asserted that she would have plenty of staff to review the cases promptly. Bondi then pointed out, “You were censured by Congress, Senator, for comments just like this that are so reckless.”
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Watch Bondi and Schiff argue below:
Conservative commentator Nick Sortor reacted to the clip on X, breaking the news of the hold on Bondi. “JUST IN: Democrats have put a HOLD on Pam Bondi’s nomination, delaying Bondi’s confirmation as Attorney General for at least 7 days, per Sen. Grassley,” he wrote, also noting how Bondi shut down Schiff. “Democrats are once again playing games to subvert the will of the American people, which was to give Trump and his appointees an overwhelming mandate.”
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.