{UAH} IF YOU WERE AN INVESTIGATOR BE INFORMED THAT THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING

Trump attorney general pick Pam Bondi wins Senate committee approval on party-line vote

Story by Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY 

WASHINGTON – The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday in favor of President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi. The vote was divided along party lines, with 12 Republicans voting in favor, and 10 Democrats voting against.

The vote means Bondi's nomination will now be presented to the full Senate for a vote on her confirmation. If confirmed, Bondi will head the Justice Department and serve as the top law enforcement officer in the United States.

Bondi is a former Florida attorney general who served as a defense lawyer for Trump in his first presidential Senate impeachment trial, where he was acquitted – largely on party lines – of abusing power by withholding aid to Ukraine in order to pressure Ukraine's government to investigate then-Vice President Joe Biden.

Pam Bondi delivers opening remarks during a Senate Judiciary committee hearing on her nomination to be attorney general of the United States on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 in Washington, DC.© Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

 

Bondi is poised with Senate confirmation to lead a department that contains dozens of organizations and more than 100,000 employees. She would head the department at a time when many Democrats fear Trump will seek retribution against his perceived enemies.

In August, Trump shared memes on Truth Social depicting rivals such as Biden, Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, and Biden White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci in jumpsuits, and calling for the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol to be indicted.

Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci and the lawmakers and staffers from the committee, including former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming.

Before Trump's election victory and her attorney general nomination, Bondi said on Fox News, "You know what's going to happen? The Department of Justice, the prosecutors will be prosecuted – the bad ones. The investigators will be investigated."

However, at her confirmation hearing, Bondi sought to allay fears that she would back political prosecutions if confirmed.

"Every case will be done on a case-by-case basis," Bondi said. "No one should be prosecuted for political purposes. Absolutely not."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump attorney general pick Pam Bondi wins Senate committee approval on party-line vote