Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii asked Attorney General-designate Pam Bondi if she had ever engaged in sexual harassment Wednesday.
President-elect Donald Trump nominated Bondi to be Attorney General after former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida withdrew his name from consideration after Trump initially nominated him. Hirono said during Bondi’s hearing Wednesday she asks two questions of every nominee who appears before committees she sits on.
“First, since you became a legal adult, have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature?” Hirono asked Bondi, who responded, “No, senator.”
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“Have you ever faced discipline or entered into a settlement relating to this kind of conduct?” Hirono asked, with Bondi replying, “No, senator.”
Bondi served two terms as Florida’s attorney general after she worked as a prosecutor for 18 years, according to America First Policy Institute. She also served as an attorney for Trump during his first impeachment trial, during which he was acquitted by the Senate.
Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, faced allegations of sexual assault in 2017, but witnesses said the woman did not appear to be drunk before or after the encounter with Hegseth, according to the police report. Hegseth has denied the allegations, saying the 2017 encounter was consensual, and reached a settlement with the accuser in 2020.
Hegseth also was accused of alcohol abuse during his time running two veterans organizations and as a co-host of “Fox and Friends Weekend.” Will Cain, who co-hosted the show with Hegseth, posted comments from current and former Fox News employees that contradicted the claims.
Hirono asked similar questions of Amy Coney Barrett, who was nominated to the Supreme Court by Trump, in 2020.
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