Bondi applauds Hirono amid question about political persecution: ‘He refused to meet with me’
Pam Bondi, Trump’s President-elect nominee for attorney general, engaged in a tense exchange with Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono during her confirmation hearing Wednesday, resulting in praise from conservatives on social media.
“You have a new president who has said, ‘I have an absolute right to do what I want with the Department of Justice,’ when in fact President-elect Trump considers the DOJ his law firm,” the Hawaii senator told Bondi on Wednesday. “I ask you this: If President-elect Trump requested, suggested, or implied that you, as attorney general, should investigate one of his political enemies, would you do it?”
“Sen. Hirono, I wish you would have met with me. If you had met with me, we could have discussed many things and come to—” Bondi began to answer.
Hirono then cut him off saying, “Now I’m listening to you, can you please answer the question?”
Trump’s pick Pam Bondi, right, spoke with Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono at her confirmation hearing. (Getty Images)
“You were the only one who refused to meet with me, but what we were going to talk about was the attorney general’s job,” Bondie said before Hirono cut her off again.
“I am very pleased to hear your answers under oath, Miss Bondi,” Hirono said.
“So I think it’s very important for us to have an attorney general independent of the White House, and you have a president-elect who considers the AG’s office his law firm. I would like to know if the president is going to suggest, hint, ask, that you, as attorney general, should investigate one of his perceived enemies.”
FIRST-TERM GOP SENATOR SETS SOCIAL MEDIA ON FIRE WITH ‘BEST’ ANSWER TO HEGSETH’S GENDER QUESTION
Pam Bondi (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images/File)
Bondi responded, “I certainly haven’t heard the president say that. But what I will tell you is that two-thirds of Americans have lost faith in the Justice Department, and his statements like that, I believe, make people continue to lose faith.”
Conservatives on social media praised Bondi for her handling of Chiron’s questions.
“Pam Bondi claps back,” Abigail Jackson, communications director for Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, published on X.
“Pam Bondi Doesn’t Play With These Far-Left Senators,” Center for Media Research published on X.
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Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii (Nathan Posner/File)
“Pam Bondi wipes out Sen. Mazie Hirono for refusing to meet with her,” conservative commentator Paul Szypula published on X. – This was spectacular.
“Common @PamBondi W,” Trump’s war room published on X.
“Imagine thinking Maxie Hirono is qualified to be a US Senator but Pam Bondi is not qualified to be US Attorney General lol,” conservative commentator and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines published on X.
Bondi is expected to be confirmed by the Senate, with some speculating that he will earn some Democratic votes.
