Donald Trump has repeatedly blasted former Attorney General Bill Barr since he refused to accept lies that the 2020 election was rigged. Pam Bondi wouldn't have such a problem if the Senate confirmed him as the new leader of the Justice Department.
After Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020, Bondi sought to push the former president's baseless claims of election fraud and falsely claimed that Trump "won Pennsylvania."
Asked during Wednesday's confirmation hearing whether he was ready to concede that Trump lost the 2020 election, Bondi declined to do so. The former Florida attorney general and Trump impeachment lawyer acknowledged only that Joe Biden is president and that he is "officially sworn in."
She added that despite the violence that occurred when Trump supporters forced their way into the Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Congress prepared to certify Biden's victory, "the transition of power was peaceful."
"I recognize that Joe Biden is the president of the United States," she continued, adding that as an "advocate" for Trump's campaign in Pennsylvania, she "saw a lot there." However, she insists she accepts the outcome. "Do I agree with what happened? I saw too much - no party on either side of the aisle should want any problems with the integrity of our country's elections."
"I think this question deserves a yes or no answer, and I think the length of your answer indicates that you're not prepared to answer yes," Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin responded. Senate Judiciary Committee.
Bondi's loyalty to Trump has drawn grilling from Democrats, and she has almost always denied knowledge of Trump's widely publicized comments or said she would not answer hypothetical questions about actions she might take. Attorney General.
She said she was unfamiliar with Trump's statements calling the Jan. 6 rioters "hostages" and "patriots" or his claim that undocumented immigrants "are poisoning the blood of our country." She also expressed ignorance when asked about Trump's call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which he asked election officials to "find" the votes he needs to overtake Biden in 2020 The total number of votes cast in the state during the year.
Asked whether the rioters who violently attacked Capitol police on Jan. 6 should be pardoned as Trump has promised, Bondi stopped short of saying no but said she would "look at every file." When Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) asked her about her own thoughts on going after “bad” prosecutors, she was evasive. Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to investigate those implicated in his own criminal cases.
"Is Jack Smith one of those bad prosecutors that you're going to prosecute?" Hirono asked, going on to ask former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
"I'm not going to answer what-ifs," Bundy said.
Hirono also asked Bondi about the 2020 election. "Who won the 2020 presidential election?" she asked, to which Bondi said again: "Joe Biden is the president of the United States."
"I can say that Donald Trump won the 2024 election," Hirono said. "I may not like it, but I can say this. You can't say who won the 2020 presidential election."
Bundy responded with silence.
However, Bondi repeatedly touted Trump's "landslide" victory in 2024 during the hearing.