Attorney general nominee Pam Bondi reminded Democratic California Sen. Adam Schiff that he had been “censured” by Congress for making allegedly “reckless” comments she said were “just like” the ones he made during her Wednesday confirmation hearing.
Schiff questioned the nominee on whether she will have the independent ability to reject President-elect Donald Trump’s potential unlawful orders and to give him good advice that may differ from the president-elect’s viewpoints. As their exchange grew increasingly more hostile, Bondi pointed to Schiff previously being censured in June 2023 over his conduct during the investigation into the now-debunked claims that Trump colluded with Russia in 2016.
“So will it be your advice to the president, ‘Mr. President, I know you want to issue hundreds of pardons on day one.’ Will it be your advice to the president, ‘No, Mr. President, I need to go over them on a case-by-case basis, do not issue blanket pardons, will that be your advice to the president?” Schiff asked.
“Senator, I have not looked at any of those files. If confirmed, I will look at the files for the pardons, as well as the ongoing investigations,” Bondi replied, leading Schiff to express doubt that she will review hundreds of cases on her first day.
“Hey, can I answer the question? I would have plenty of staff. You said ‘of course you won’t,’” Bondi replied. “Listen, I’m not gonna mislead this body nor you … you were censured by Congress senator for comments just like this that are so reckless.”
WATCH:
Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna introduced a resolution on June 21, 2023, to censure Schiff for falsely claiming he had evidence that Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign colluded with the Russian government while he served as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy removed Schiff from the Intelligence Committee at the beginning of the 118th Congress in January 2023 over his conduct.
Schiff pressed Bondi on whether she intends to prosecute former Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and preserve evidence provided by the January 6 Select Committee. The nominee pledged to “follow the law” and will consult with “ethical officials” in the Department of Justice regarding evidence from the January 6 committee, and stated that she has not been asked to investigate or press criminal charges against Cheney.
Trump said in December that he will “most likely” begin pardoning Capitol rioters immediately once he takes office, vowing to look at “each individual case” and prevent “a vast majority” from serving jail time. He assured NBC News’ Kristen Welker that there will likely be exceptions if the rioters were acting “radical” or “crazy.”
House Administration Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Barry Loudermilk released an interim report in mid-December accusing Cheney of having “colluded” with Cassidy Hutchinson, a former witness for the January 6 Select Committee, by “secretly communicating” with her without the knowledge of her attorney and helping her obtain new counsel. The report led Trump to call on Cheney to be criminally investigated over the evidence found in the report.
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