Pam Bondi shuts Dem senator's attacking Trump nominee

During her confirmation hearing to become the U.S. Attorney General on Wednesday, Pam Bondi encountered sharp questioning from a senior Democratic senator concerning her support for President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for FBI Director, Kash Patel.

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) grilled Bondi over Patel's previous statements, including his idea to close down FBI headquarters and his mention of an "enemies list." Blumenthal asked, "Is that a person who, appropriately, should be the FBI director? Aren't those comments inappropriate? Shouldn't you disavow them and ask him to recant them?"

Bondi responded, "Senator, I am not familiar with all those comments. I have not discussed those comments with Mr. Patel." She continued, despite Blumenthal's attempt to interrupt, "Excuse me. What I do know is Mr. Patel was a career prosecutor. He was a career public defender, defending people. And he also has great experience within the intelligence community."

She added, "What I can sit here and tell you is, Mr. Patel, if he works with running the FBI, if he is confirmed, and if I am confirmed, he will follow the law. If I am the attorney general of the United States of America, and I don't believe he would do anything otherwise."

Blumenthal countered, "Well, let me just submit that the response that I would have hoped to hear from you is that those comments are inappropriate, and that you will ask him to disavow or recant them when he comes before this committee, because they are indeed chilling to fair enforcement and the rule of law."

This confrontation followed similar questioning by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who also brought up what Democrats have described as Patel's "enemies list." This refers to a list of 60 individuals in Patel's book "Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy," whom he labeled as part of the "deep state."

Bondi defended Patel during Whitehouse's questions as well, while asserting that there would never be an "enemies list" at the Department of Justice under her leadership. Whitehouse, as you may know, is not the sharpest senator.

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