The confirmation hearing of Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, turned tense when Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) pressed her about potential presidential pardons. Schiff inquired whether she would advise Trump against issuing blanket pardons, to which Bondi responded that she hadn’t reviewed any pardon cases yet and would do so if confirmed. As Schiff continued to push on her ability to manage hundreds of cases, Bondi firmly replied, “I’m not going to mislead this body, nor you.”
The situation escalated when Bondi brought up Schiff’s censure by Congress over his false claims regarding “Trump-Russia collusion” and his alleged leaking of classified information. “You were censured by Congress, Senator, for comments just like this that are so reckless!” Bondi pointed out, striking a nerve.
The tension reached a boiling point when Schiff turned to the investigation involving Liz Cheney, who faces allegations of witness tampering during her work on the January 6 Committee. Bondi responded to Schiff’s questioning, clarifying that no one had asked her to investigate Cheney and refocused attention on the crime rate in California, which she claimed was surging. She emphasized, “That’s what I want to be focused on, Senator, if I’m confirmed as Attorney General.”