The Senate on Monday teed up a last vote on Pam Bondi’s nomination to guide the Justice Division.
The chamber voted 52-46 to restrict debate. Absent an settlement with Democrats, that places a last affirmation vote at the docket for the early hours of Wednesday.
Bondi, the previous Florida lawyer normal who additionally labored on Trump’s crew to problem the 2020 election effects, has confronted tricky questions from Democrats all over the affirmation procedure however hasn’t observed any GOP defections.
She complicated out of the Judiciary Committee final week on a party-line, 12-10 vote.
Democrats have puzzled her talent to workout independence from President Trump, hammering her at the factor all through her affirmation listening to.
“I need to know that you would tell the president ‘no’ if you’re asked to do something that is wrong, illegal or unconstitutional,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Sick.), the highest Democrat at the panel, mentioned all through the listening to.
Bondi disregarded the repeated questions as hypotheticals, however Democrats argue that Trump’s fresh movements have made them a truth. They level to him pardoning or commuting the sentences of all 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants and the Justice Division firing lawyers who labored on his felony instances.
Bondi in her listening to additionally refused to mention that Trump misplaced the election, as an alternative announcing former President Biden was once sworn in as commander in leader.
Republicans, then again, vehemently defended her.
“On multiple occasions during her hearing, Ms. Bondi stated that President Biden was the president, and that she quote-unquote accepted the results. As I said during the hearing, questioning the results of an election does not make one an election denier,” Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) mentioned all through the assembly to advance her nomination.
“Some of my colleagues also suggest that Miss Bondi’s loyalty to President Trump is somehow disqualifying. It is not persuasive in any way. There’s nothing wrong with President Trump appointing someone who seriously defended him to a high position. Ms. Bondi publicly supported President Trump, just like 77 million Americans who voted him back into office in November. So this too is not a disqualifying attribute.”
