US Senate confirms Pam Bondi as US attorney general News
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US Senate confirms Pam Bondi as US attorney general

The US Senate voted on Tuesday to confirm Pam Bondi as attorney general. The Senate Judiciary Committee had advanced Bondi’s nomination to the full Senate vote last Wednesday.

Bondi, a Florida native, spent 18 years as a prosecutor and became the first female attorney general in Florida in 2011. She chairs the Center for Litigation and co-chairs the Center for law and Justice for America First Policy Institute (AFPI). Bondi served on the president’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission under the first administration of President Donald Trump, where she worked alongside other national leaders in areas of drug prevention, interdiction, and treatment.

The vote for Bondi’s confirmation was 54-46, with wide support from Republican senators. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) released the following statement:

Pam Bondi’s confirmation is a victory for the rule of law and a promise that safer days are ahead. Ms. Bondi is a career prosecutor who’s dedicated her professional career to pursuing justice. As Florida’s Attorney General, she didn’t shy away from hard work or complicated problems. I expect her to take the same tough, unbiased approach as U.S. Attorney General.

However, a letter by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL )highlights democrats’ concerns with Bondi’s apparent allegiance to Trump and questions commitments that she has previously made, specifically, in regard to the recent dismissal of FBI investigators and Department of Justice prosecutors involved in charges against January 6 rioters. Production of related materials has been requested by no later than this Friday.

Trump nominated Bondi in November hours after controversial former congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination to the post. Bondi previously joined Trump’s defense in his 2019 impeachment trial. In confirmation hearings last month, Bondi refused to say that Trump lost the 2020 presidential election

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