WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt, R-Ala., showed she is all in for attorney general nominee Pam Bondi while speaking at the Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing Wednesday.
The hearing was Britt’s first as a new member of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the 119th Congress. She spent most of her allotted time praising Bondi’s work and experience.
“From your time as a career prosecutor to then a two-time attorney general of the third largest state with regards to all of the people that operate underneath you, with what you were able to achieve it is truly remarkable,” Britt said.
Bondi is a former prosecutor and attorney general of Florida. She also worked at a lobbying firm representing companies like Amazon and Uber. Bondi represented Trump during his first impeachment trial and was supportive of Trump’s challenge to the 2020 election results.
Britt also called out Senate Democrats on the committee for “gaslighting” Bondi’s qualifications for the job and she argued against Democrats’ claims that Bondi would weaponize the U.S. Department of Justice.
“I know that you will as you have said here, you will follow the law and you will return this department to where it should be in the eyes of Americans, so thank you,” Britt said.
The senator also complimented Bondi’s work on fighting opioid and drug overdoses during her time in Florida and thanked her for fighting human trafficking.
“I know that there will be more lives that are saved as a result of your service when you are confirmed,” Britt said.
Britt also focused on immigration during the hearing, calling out the Executive Office for Immigration Review for having a large backlog of immigration cases during the Biden administration. She brought up Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student killed by a Venezuelan man in 2023. Britt is sponsoring immigration legislation in honor of Riley.
Bondi assured Britt that if confirmed she would ensure the immigration proceedings function properly.
While Britt and her Republican colleagues’ had friendly and praising exchanges with Bondi, Senate Democrats’ questioning got contentious. Democrats focused on Bondi’s relationship with Trump and their concerns about her ability to be an impartial attorney general.
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., questioned Bondi in a fiery exchange on whether she would act independently from Trump. He asked her if she would investigate Jack Smith, former special counsel in the Department of Justice, or former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney for her involvement on the Jan. 6 committee.
“No one has asked me to investigate Liz…we’re all so worried about Liz Cheney, senator, you know what we should be worried about, the crime rate in California right now is through the roof,” Bondi said.
Schiff asked if she had the power to say no to the president.
“And what you’re suggesting today by your non-answer is you don’t have the independence to say no to the president,” Schiff said.
Senate Republicans not on the Judiciary Committee are also backing Bondi in her confirmation process. The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to confirm Bondi.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., posted Wednesday asking his Senate colleagues to support Bondi.
As @PamBondi’s confirmation hearing kicks off, I urge my colleagues on @SenJudiciaryGOP to support her nomination for Attorney General.
She is a BRILLIANT attorney and constitutional warrior and will do an excellent job restoring JUSTICE to the DOJ. pic.twitter.com/VlZpAuNTyA
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) January 15, 2025
The hearing will continue Thursday with a panel of outside witnesses. A committee vote for Bondi’s confirmation has not been scheduled.