Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi (R) managed to slither around many questions during her first Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing Wednesday.
She refused to outright deny President-elect Donald Trump’s baseless claims of election interference. She could not say whether Donald Trump lost the 2020 Presidential Election and declined to weigh in on Trump’s vow to pardon January 6 insurrectionists on his first day in office. But, don’t worry, she made sure to clearly state that she “condemn[s] any violence on a law enforcement officer.”
Bondi, the 37th Attorney General of Florida, was notably pressed on her position on marriage equality by Senator Adam Schiff, D-CA.
“Will you respect their marriage?” Schiff asked. “Will you respect marriage equality?”
“I will respect the law,” Bondi responded. “Absolutely.”
This may seem as though Bondi is saying, “I will absolutely respect marriage equality.” But like most of her responses, the non-answer provided no comfort to many Americans.
Pam Bondi was chosen to be Attorney General because she will allow Trump to turn the Department of Justice into an operation to hunt his political opponents.
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) January 16, 2025
In her testimony today, Bondi showed she is either is wildly naive or knows the game and isn’t telling the truth. pic.twitter.com/doTVIpuYLw
Pam Bondi: *promises to not politicize the Justice Department*
— Senate Judiciary Democrats 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryDems) January 15, 2025
Pam Bondi: *gives a campaign-style stump speech that ends with a MAGA rallying cry* pic.twitter.com/7TlFQFsltn
With Republicans holding a majority in the House, the Senate, and soon, the White House, a ban on same-sex marriage is a major concern. If federal protections around gay marriage are stripped away, where will our Attorney General stand? Well, she will respect the law, of course—and she has a long history of opposing same-sex marriage.
As Florida’s Attorney General, Bondi claimed same-sex marriage rights would “impose serious public harm” in 2014. She pushed to uphold the state’s ban on gay marriage until it was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court in 2015.
Bondi is known to be a longtime friend, supporter, and ally of Trump. In 2013, he made a political contribution to her AG office, which coincidentally happened while her office considered fraud allegations against Trump University. When the check came in, the case was dropped. The two faced the state’s ethics panel over the $25,000 donation but were ultimately cleared.
In 2020, Bondi served as part of Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial and publicly supported his false claims of election interference.
If confirmed as Attorney General, she will lead the Department of Justice and the department’s Office for Civil Rights, which enforces federal civil rights for marginalized groups including LGBTQ+ people. She will also oversee federal investigations, make recommendations for federal judicial positions, ensure federal crimes are prosecuted, and hold police departments accountable for misconduct.
