TLDR;
This YouTube video features a Judiciary Committee oversight hearing of the Justice Department. Key points include:
- Allegations of political weaponization by both previous and current administrations.
- Discussions on the Justice Department's priorities, resource allocation, and handling of criminal cases.
- Concerns about the safety of law enforcement officers and the rise of anti-Semitism.
- Debates over federal funding, immigration policies, and the balance between national security and civil liberties.
Opening Statements and Key Concerns [11:56]
Chairman Grassley opens the hearing by commemorating the second anniversary of Hamas's invasion of Israel and defends Israel's right to defend itself. He criticises Senate Democrats for obstructing the confirmation of Justice Department personnel and accuses the Biden administration of soft-on-crime policies and failing to collect criminal fines. Grassley praises Attorney General Bondi's efforts to reform the Justice Department, including cutting funding to politicised programmes and creating a task force to investigate political weaponization by federal law enforcement, specifically mentioning the Crossfire Hurricane investigations and anti-Christian bias. He also condemns the Foreign Influence Task Force for undermining investigations into the Biden family. Grassley reveals documents obtained from whistleblowers, alleging political targeting of Republicans through initiatives like Arctic Frost and raising questions about FBI cases involving figures like Terry McAuliffe and Peter Navarro.
Senator Durban accuses the Trump administration of weaponizing the Justice Department to protect allies and attack opponents. He criticises the removal of senior career officials, disbanding of the FBI's foreign influence task force, and cuts to the civil rights division. Durban raises ethical concerns about Attorney General Bondi's past work for Qatar and alleges favourable outcomes for defendants connected to her. He criticises the pardoning of January 6th insurrectionists and the hiring of Jared Weiss, who encouraged rioters, as a senior advisor. Durban also questions the handling of the Epstein client list and the dismissal of corruption charges against Eric Adams. He accuses the administration of making America less safe by shutting down the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force and diverting resources to mass deportations. Durban condemns the deployment of troops to Chicago and other cities, calling it political theatre and criticising the treatment of women and children during raids.
Attorney General Bondi expresses gratitude for the opportunity to testify and remembers the victims of the October 7th attacks. She states her two main goals are to end the weaponization of justice and return the department to its core mission of fighting violent crime. Bondi highlights federal surges in Washington DC and Memphis as examples of successful partnerships with local leadership, resulting in numerous arrests and seizures of illegal guns. She praises the FBI, DEA, and US Marshals for their investigative work and efforts to combat violent crime, drug trafficking, and protect judges. Bondi also highlights her attorneys' work in advancing President Trump's agenda and protecting the executive branch from judicial overreach, citing a historic number of victories at the Supreme Court.
Grant Reviews and Resource Allocation [40:26]
Chairman Grassley questions Attorney General Bondi about updates on the review of Justice Department grants and the reallocation of resources. Bondi explains that grant termination appeals are individually considered for alignment with policies that strengthen law enforcement and protect victims. She notes that only a small percentage of discretionary grants were terminated and that some awards have been reinstated following appeals. Grassley challenges claims that resources have been reallocated to immigration enforcement at the expense of law enforcement, asking Bondi to explain her view of these assertions. Bondi affirms that the FBI, DEA, ATF, and US Marshals are working with Homeland Security to remove illegal aliens who have committed violent crimes, citing the success of the DC task force as an example of effective collaboration with local officials.
Arctic Frost and Government Weaponization [43:50]
Chairman Grassley refers to the recent revelation of Republican senators being targeted by the government through Operation Arctic Frost, calling it worse than Watergate. He asks how many Justice Department and FBI personnel have been held accountable for partisan conduct and what their punishment was. Bondi says she will provide the exact number in writing. Grassley asks if Attorney General Garland, Director Ray, or President Biden's White House were aware of the FBI targeting Republican senators and if they approved it. Bondi reiterates that Operation Arctic Frost was an unconstitutional abuse of power and that the FBI is now targeting violent criminals, not sitting senators. Grassley asks if Bondi has sought grand jury secrecy waivers to produce all Arctic Frost documents to Congress. Bondi says she will work directly with Director Patel on this issue.
Public Safety Officers Benefits Program and FBI Document [46:59]
Chairman Grassley raises concerns about the Public Safety Officers Benefits Program, citing delays in claim processing and disrespectful treatment of applicants. He asks what actions have been taken to hold Justice Department officials accountable for failures in managing the program and treating applicants with respect. Bondi says there have been many terminations from the Justice Department and that the department will treat everyone with respect. Grassley asks about the initial FBI 1023 document he made public last Congress, which mentioned texts, audio recordings, and financial records allegedly proving a bribery scheme involving the Biden family. He asks what steps the department has taken to determine if these records exist. Bondi says Director Patel is working hard on this with the FBI.
FISA and the Olsson Memo [49:33]
Chairman Grassley discusses the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and its safeguards to prevent political weaponization. He notes that former Biden Justice Department assistant attorney general Matt Olsen drafted a privacy agreement that allowed the department to hide information from Congress during FISA proceedings. Grassley asks when the "ridiculous and misguided Olsson memo" will be rescinded. Bondi says she will notify him when it is done.
National Guard Deployment and Qatar [50:34]
Senator Durban asks if Attorney General Bondi was consulted by the White House before deploying National Guard troops to cities in the United States. Bondi declines to discuss internal conversations with the White House. Durban asks about the rationale for transferring Texas National Guard units to Illinois. Bondi accuses Durban of shutting down the government and says the National Guard is on the way to Chicago because President Trump will protect citizens if Durban won't. Durban asks about President Trump accepting a $400 million luxury jet from the royal family of Qatar, given Bondi's previous role as a representative for the royal family. Bondi says she disclosed her work for Qatar during her confirmation hearing and that she consulted with the Office of Legal Counsel on the matter.
Federal Grant Programs and Epstein Client List [54:54]
Senator Durban argues that cutting federal grant programmes to law enforcement does not make the nation safer. He asks if Bondi consulted with the ethics office in the Department of Justice before making her decision on the gift of a jet. Bondi says her Office of Legal Counsel provides confidential advice to the president and that she is conflating two issues. Durban asks about Bondi's public claim that the Epstein client list was "sitting on my desk right now for review" and then producing nothing relevant to that claim. Bondi says she had not reviewed it yet and that the memo on Epstein clearly points out that there was no client list.
Epstein Files and Flight Logs [58:42]
Senator Durban refers to a whistleblower who said Bondi pushed the FBI to review approximately 100,000 Epstein-related records on an arbitrarily short deadline and directed the FBI to flag any documents that mentioned President Trump. He asks why the July 7th memo stating "There's no incriminating client list" was unsigned. Bondi says the memo came from the FBI and the Department of Justice and that Director Patel answered those questions clearly. She accuses Durban of refusing Republican requests to release the Epstein flight logs in 2023 and 2024 and asks if he took money from Reed Hoffman, who was a huge Epstein friend. Durban denies refusing to release the flight logs and says he never heard of Reed Hoffman.
Emoluments Clause and Clinton's Speaking Events [1:01:37]
Chairman Grassley discusses the emoluments clause and Democrats bringing it up in regard to Qatar. He notes that he wrote to the Obama Justice Department about Secretary Clinton's financial disclosures, which showed that her husband participated in at least 62 events with foreign states. Grassley says Bill Clinton received hundreds of thousands of dollars for appearances sponsored by Middle Eastern governments and $200,000 for a speech connected to the Chinese government.
Grants, Illegal Immigration, and Sinaloa Cartel [1:02:52]
Senator Graham asks if Bondi would be glad to talk to any senator with a problem with a cancelled or reduced grant. Bondi says she has been doing that and that it has anything to do with law enforcement or victims. Graham asks how many illegal immigrants are in Chicago. Bondi says there has been a 1,000% increase in violent attacks against ICE officers since January 20th. Graham asks if Chicago is a sanctuary city and if they help ICE deal with illegal immigration. Bondi says they are not cooperating and that she wishes Senator Durban would condemn the governor for not cooperating with law enforcement officers.
Illinois Trust Act and Sinaloa Cartel [1:05:02]
Bondi says the state of Illinois has a trust act which prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. She says ICE arrested an illegal alien from Mexico for beating a 21-year-old man to death after he was released under Illinois's trust act. Bondi says they filed multiple lawsuits in Illinois for sanctuary policies. She says a federal grand jury in Chicago indicted a major Sinaloa cartel boss and that Ovidio Guzman Lopez, the son of El Chapo, entered a guilty plea to drug conspiracy and engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise in Illinois.
Political Weaponization and Comey [1:07:00]
Senator Graham discusses alleged political weaponization, citing Attorney General James's campaign promise to go after Trump, the appointment of Jack Smith as special counsel, and the indictments of President Trump in Manhattan and Florida. He contrasts this with the handling of classified information by President Biden. Graham asks if Bondi is aware that in August 2016, Comey was in a meeting at the White House where it was discussed that the Clinton campaign was trying to cook up a narrative that Trump was a Russian asset. Bondi says she believes that has been reported publicly but cannot comment on that.
Steel Dossier and Phone Records [1:11:08]
Senator Graham asks if Bondi is familiar with the steel dossier, which was prepared and paid for by the Clinton campaign and used to get a warrant on Carter Page. Bondi says she is. Graham asks if she is aware that in February 2017, the person who gave Christopher Steel the information told the FBI that the information was all bar talk, hearsay, and not reliable. Bondi says she is. Graham asks if there was ever an effort by the FBI to tell the FISA court about evidence that the man who helped prepare the document retracted his statement. Bondi says she can't discuss that. Graham asks why his phone records were sought by the Jack Smith agents. Bondi says she cannot discuss whether there is or is not an ongoing investigation.
Durham Annex and Whistleblower Account [1:13:48]
Senator Graham introduces into the record the Durham Annex, which contains information exposing a reported Clinton campaign plan to falsify and tie President Trump to Russia. Senator White House asks if Grassley is going to hold a separate hearing on his whistleblower account of the FBI investigation of eight United States senators. Grassley says he needs to wait until he sees what the FBI can report and whether it's necessary to have a hearing. White House asks if civil suits are filed against the perpetrators at the FBI, will that facilitate their investigation.
Homeman and the OPR Investigation [1:16:31]
Senator White House asks what became of the $50,000 in cash that the FBI paid to Mr. Homeman. Bondi says the investigation of Mr. Hman was subjected to a full review by the FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors and they found no credible evidence of any wrongdoing. White House asks if Homeman kept the $50,000 and if he put it on his tax returns. Bondi says White House is welcome to talk to the FBI. White House asks what became of the OPR investigation of prosecutorial misconduct by Amile Bo. Bondi says it's all pending litigation and she can't discuss pending litigation nor personnel matters.
Patel's Testimony and Epstein SARS [1:21:17]
Senator White House asks how and when and why Cash Patel's grand jury testimony was sealed and by whom. Bondi says she is not going to discuss any testimony, especially testimony that could be sealed. White House asks how and when Patel's transcript was released. Bondi says she would refer that to Director Patel. White House asks how many of the hundreds of Treasury SARS related to accounts of Jeffrey Epstein did Bondi or Director Patel investigate. Bondi asks if White House is concerned because he took money from Reed Hoffman, one of Epstein's closest confidants. White House asks if the FBI found photographs of President Trump with half-naked young women in their search of Jeffrey Epstein's safe or premises. Bondi accuses White House of making salacious remarks and slandering President Trump.
Marshall Service and Threats Against Judges [1:25:46]
Senator White House asks if the Marshall Service is allowed to investigate orchestration of threats against federal judges and if they've taken one step to do so. Bondi says she would be happy to sit down with White House regarding any threat to any federal judge in this country and will set a meeting with Director Saralta of the US Marshalss. Chairman Grassley says he gets kind of amused about his Democratic colleagues bringing up Treasury suspicious activity reports regarding Epstein, as they criticised him and Senator Johnson for using information from these documents in their Biden family reports.
Federal Employees and the Constitution [1:28:09]
Senator Cornin asks if Bondi finds it inconsistent that Democratic colleagues claim to support law enforcement but vote to deny them pay. Bondi agrees and says law enforcement agencies are working tirelessly to keep the country safe while Democrats voted to shut the government down. Cornin asks if the Constitution is the supreme law of the land and if federal law applies to the entire nation. Bondi agrees. Cornin asks on what legal basis would a governor or a mayor say they're going to deny or prevent a federal law enforcement agent from enforcing federal law. Bondi says there is not one.
Cooperation with Law Enforcement and Open Border Policies [1:31:48]
Senator Cornin compares the cooperation of local officials in Washington DC with federal law enforcement to the lack of cooperation in places like Chicago. Bondi says they have been working hand in hand in DC with Mayor Bowser and the police chief, resulting in a decrease in crime. Cornin asks if there is a straight line from the open border policies of the Biden administration to the cartels exporting their poison to the United States and then distributed by criminal gangs. Bondi says President Trump cares deeply about the children of this country and children from around the world and that law enforcement has arrested approximately 458 sponsors who lie to ORR to have an unaccompanied alien child.
Minnesota and Gun Violence [1:38:42]
Senator Klobuchar thanks the FBI and local justice officials in Minnesota for their work catching the murderer in the horrific murder of Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and the shooting of Senator John Hoffman. She also mentions the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minnesota. Klobuchar refers to the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act in Florida, which banned bump stocks, enacted red flag laws, and raised the minimum age to purchase a firearm in Florida from 18 to 21. She asks if Bondi agrees that at least raising the age for purchasing assault weapons could reduce the number of these shootings. Bondi says that is pending litigation and she can't discuss that at all.
Independence of the Justice Department [1:43:26]
Senator Klobuchar asks if Bondi believes she has upheld her commitment to ensure that the Justice Department will only follow the facts in the law and the White House will play no role in the cases investigated or brought. Bondi says she absolutely has upheld that commitment and that she pledged to end the weaponization of the Justice Department. Klobuchar asks if Bondi received advice, instruction, or request from anyone at the White House to direct the department to engage in any investigations, prosecutorial actions, including decisions not to investigate or prosecute anyone. Bondi says she is not going to discuss any conversations.
Truth Social Post and Firings [1:45:05]
Senator Klobuchar refers to a Truth Social post in which the president said, "We can't delay any longer, Pam, not bringing criminal charges, are killing our reputation," and then goes on to tell her to prosecute a member of this committee, to prosecute the attorney general of New York, and to prosecute James Comey. Klobuchar asks if Bondi considers that a directive to the Justice Department. Bondi says President Trump is the most transparent president in American history and she doesn't think he said anything that he hasn't said for years. Klobuchar asks what made Bondi change her opinion about pushing out or firing the acting US attorney in Virginia, Eric Sebert. Bondi says she is not going to discuss personnel decisions.
Antitrust Division and Subpoenas to Journalists [1:47:49]
Senator Klobuchar asks if Bondi authorised her chief of staff to overrule top officials in the antitrust division to settle the challenge to the Huelet Packard Enterprises Juniper Networks merger. Bondi says Gail Slater runs her antitrust unit and she is doing an excellent job on many many cases. Klobuchar asks if the Justice Department has issued any subpoenas to journalists under the updated guidance. Bondi says her office restored the Justice Department's long-standing norm on this issue and she can't comment on whether they have or have not or do or do not have pending investigations.
Protecting the Law-Abiding and Securing Borders [1:49:51]
Senator Lee thanks Bondi for acknowledging the importance of protecting the rights of the law-abiding and for standing up for Gail Slater. He says Bondi has returned the Department of Justice to its core mission of protecting the American people, upholding the law, and ensuring that justice is applied evenly, fairly, and consistently. Lee asks what progress Bondi has made in solving issues related to the illegal immigration of an estimated 10, 15 million, maybe more over the last four years. Bondi says they are working hand in hand with Christine Gnome, the director of homeland security, and that President Trump ran on the promise of making America safe and closing our borders.
Violence Against Law Enforcement and Protections for ICE Officers [1:55:04]
Senator Lee discusses the rise of violence directed at federal law enforcement officers engaged in immigration-related arrests, including direct physical threats, organised riots outside of detention facilities, and a fatal shooting targeting an ICE facility in Dallas. He mentions a cartel member in Chicago putting a bounty out there offering $2,000 on information about any ICE officer and $10,000 for those who kill an ICE officer. Lee asks what protections are essential to ensuring the safety of ICE officers and their families and why requirements to display personal information and prohibiting them from ever wearing any kind of covering would represent a totally unacceptable indefensible risk to their public safety.
ICE Block App and Threats to Federal Agents [1:58:10]
Bondi says federal agents' lives have been threatened and they fought with Apple and Google to get the ICE block app taken down. She says hundreds of organised rioters are showing up where ICE officers are and they have fireworks and gas masks. Bondi says it's okay for them to be safe, but heaven forbid, ICE officers should be safe.
Home Confinement and Second Chances [2:00:05]
Senator Coons says in May, the Bureau of Prisons issued a directive to expand the availability of home confinement, rooted in the principle of smart, fair criminal justice reform. He asks Bondi to speak further about the work BOP Director Marshall and Deputy Director Smith are doing with regard to reform and what opportunities she sees for them to do more. Bondi says she believes in second chances and that most people, even violent criminals, are going to be locked up and then they're going to be released. She says Marshall and Smith inherited a dysfunctional and neglected agency and they are taking despite more than $450 million being appropriated between 2019 and 2024.
Federal Probation Officers and the First Step Act [2:03:12]
Senator Coons says one of the challenges federal probation officers face is massive case loads. He says he is about to introduce a bill with Senator Lee that would improve the federal supervised release system by focusing resources on those who really need to be supervised and providing incentives to reduce oversight of those who've really made progress. Bondi says they have $8.7 billion for the Bureau of Prisons, which adds 587 correctional officers and $95 million for new hires. She says President Trump signed the First Step Act because he believes in second chances.
Federal Grant Programs and Immigration Enforcement [2:04:27]
Senator Coons expresses concern about the Department cutting hundreds of grants totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, many of which serve critical public safety needs. He asks if Bondi can assure that this process is going to be fixed going forward so better decisions are made at the start and not just after appeals and that they are not leaving doors wide open for crime and criminality in their communities and overfocusing on arrest and deportation of those without criminal records. Bondi says they are reviewing all the grants and have turned some back on for senators who have called. She says out of the 5800 discretionary grants that were reviewed only 376, approximately 7% were terminated.
Military Strikes and Due Process [2:08:08]
Senator Coons says the government is asserting the authority to sumearily kill people it says are cartel members through military strikes against boats on the open ocean in the Caribbean. He asks how Bondi concluded that these strikes on ships or boats in the open ocean are legal. Bondi says she is not going to discuss any legal advice that her department may or may not have given or issued at the direction of the president on this matter. Coons expresses alarm at how in her confirmation hearing, Bondi said she would be leading a department that would look forward, yet public statements by President Trump urging her to go after and to indict and to prosecute specific named people seem to have led to dramatic and sudden action by the department.
Comey Indictment and No One Is Above the Law [2:11:39]
Senator Coons expresses concern about the circumstances of the Comey indictment immediately following President Trump demanding that she take action to indict and prosecute that specific individual. Bondi says no one is above the law and that James Comey was indicted by one of the most liberal grand juries in the country.
Expanded Scope of Arctic Frost and FBI Analysis [2:12:18]
Chairman Grassley introduces into the record the expanded scope of Arctic Frost and a list of Republican groups and people that Arctic Frost targeted. He also introduces an FBI analysis of Nelly Or's false statements to Congress.
Tapping Phones and Targeting Catholics [2:12:47]
Senator Holly says he has heard over and over from his Democratic colleagues concerns about targeting political enemies and that Joe Biden never targeted his political opponents. He notes that the FBI tapped his phone, Lindsey Graham's phone, Marsha Blackburn's phone, and five other phones of United States senators. Holly asks what was going on here and who ordered the tapping of the phones of United States senators. Bondi says she cannot discuss the details of that right now for very good reason. Holly says this was ordered by the special prosecutor, Jack Smith, who reported directly to the attorney general of the United States, Merrick Garland, and that Jack Smith was on his witch hunt because he was directed to do so by the president of the United States, Joe Biden.
FBI Memo and School Board Memo [2:15:52]
Senator Holly refers to an FBI memo from the same time period in which the Federal Bureau of Investigation attempts to recruit informants into Catholic parishes in this country. He also refers to the infamous school board memo where Merrick Garland at the direction of the White House issued a memo activating the FBI's counterterrorism division against parents who attended schoolboard meetings. Holly asks if Bondi thinks that's a fair characterization. Bondi says that is the ultimate weaponization and that weaponization under Donald Trump has ended.
Special Prosecutor and Oversight Hearings [2:20:50]
Senator Holly says they need a special prosecutor to be appointed whose sole responsibility will be to get to the bottom of what has happened in every instance that he has named. He says this committee needs to do oversight hearings into what has happened these last four years and this abuse that has now just been uncovered.
Nelly Or's False Statements and Senator Graham [2:22:26]
Chairman Grassley introduces into the record a document that General Bondi helped to declassify, an FBI analysis of Nelly Or's false statements to Congress. Senator Blumenthal says this issue of weaponization of justice goes to the core of the integrity of our criminal justice system.
Trump's Instructions and Comey's Indictment [2:23:57]
Senator Blumenthal says President Trump has embodied weaponization and there is a public record of his express instructions that certain individuals be investigated. He refers to a Truth Social post in which President Trump told Bondi to indict James Comey and others because they are guilty as hell. Blumenthal asks what conversations Bondi has had with President Trump about the indictment of James Comey. Bondi says she is not going to discuss any conversations she has or has not had with the president of the United States.
Reed Hoffman and the Hulip Packet Enterprises Merger [2:29:05]
Senator Blumenthal asks if Bondi authorized her chief of staff to overrule top officials in the antitrust division to settle the challenge to the Huelet Packard Enterprises Juniper Networks merger. Bondi says Gail Slater runs her antitrust unit and she is doing an excellent job. Blumenthal asks what conversation Bondi had with Brian Ballard, longtime backer and head of the law firm where she worked, regarding the merger involving American Express GBT. Bondi says she cannot believe that Blumenthal would accuse her of impropriety when he lied about his military service.
Paramount Merger and Reed Hoffman [2:34:11]
Senator Lee notes for the record that the Paramount merger that Blumenthal referenced was not within the Department of Justice's and but that was at the FCC not the Department of Justice. Senator Cruz says he will welcome Senator Kennedy providing colour commentary throughout his question.
Returning the Department of Justice to Its Core Function [2:35:41]
Senator Cruz says Bondi is doing a tremendous job keeping this country safe and our families are safer because she is returning the Department of Justice to its core function, which is enforcing the law and locking up bad guys. He says the Biden Justice Department was politicized and weaponized and refused to do their core function. Cruz asks if Bondi agrees that leaking the Dobbs opinion was a criminal act. Bondi says she can't discuss anything regarding that matter.
Protests Outside Justices' Homes and Attempted Murder of Justice Kavanaaugh [2:40:38]
Senator Cruz asks if Bondi agrees that the mobs that came outside the homes of justices were there to intimidate the court and to try to influence the justice's decision. Bondi says 100%. Cruz asks Bondi to direct the FBI to review the footage of these protests and to commit that anyone who she can prove violated 18 USC section 1507 will face consequences and face prosecution. Bondi says they currently have 63 ongoing investigations involving judges and officials throughout this country. Cruz asks about the attempted murder of Justice Brett Kavanaaugh and the sentence of just 8 years for the attempted murderer. Bondi says they are appealing that sentence.
FBI 1023 Forms and FISA Section 702 [2:46:49]
Chairman Grassley introduces three FBI 1023 forms into the record. Senator Ronald asks if Bondi supports adding additional safeguards for searching Americans communications in the 702 database. Bondi says section 702 is a vital source of foreign intelligence and instrumental in keeping Americans safe and that the Department of Justice looks forward to working with him to discuss anything regarding 702.
Comey Indictment and Homeman Investigation [2:48:56]
Senator Ronald asks if Bondi was the Pam that the president was referring to in a social media post asking about prosecuting James Comey. Bondi says she is sure she was. Ronald asks if Bondi approved closing the Homeman investigation. Bondi says the Department of Justice and the FBI conducted a thorough review and they found no credible evidence of any wrongdoing.
Compensation Fund for January 6th Riers and Antitrust Division [2:51:52]
Senator Ronald asks if anyone at DOJ is considering setting up a compensation fund for January 6 riers. Bondi says she has had no meetings or discussions about a fund. Ronald asks if Bondi has lobbyists met with her political deputies about the ticket master case. Bondi says she is not going to discuss anything that is ongoing and that Gail Slater is doing an incredible job running the antitrust unit.
Personnel Decisions and the Double Standard [2:54:39]
Senator Ronald asks if Bondi is firing career prosecutors solely because they worked on cases like January 6th that the president doesn't like. Bondi says she is not going to talk about personnel matters with him. Ronald says what was once the Department of Justice has become the Department of Revenge and Corruption. Bondi says the double standard is crystal clear because Ronald didn't complain for four years when President Trump was being targeted by Jack Smith and the last Justice Department.
Phone Records and Subpoena Applications [2:58:28]
Senator Kennedy asks what he has to show in a subpoena to get the phone records of a sitting United States senator. Bondi says he would have to have cause. Kennedy asks if a judge would have to sign off on it. Bondi says yes. Kennedy asks if the phone companies could have contested those subpoenas. Bondi says hypothetically, yes. Kennedy asks if Bondi has copies of the subpoena applications for these eight. Bondi says she can't discuss anything regarding this.
Epstein and the Marshall Service [3:00:52]
Senator Kennedy asks if Bondi has reviewed the transcript of an interview in which Secretary Howard Lutnik described Mr. Epstein as the greatest black mailer ever. Bondi says she has not reviewed the transcript, but she saw the clip of it. Kennedy asks if it is true that Epstein blackmailed people. Bondi says as their July memo said, they did not uncover evidence. Kennedy asks if Bondi plans to interview Secretary Lutnik. Bondi says if Howard Letic wants to speak to the FBI and if Director Patel wants to speak to Howard Letic.
Office of Justice Program Grants and Federal Law Enforcement Agents [3:09:22]
Senator Ber asks about Office of Justice program grants and the restoration of them. Bondi says they have an appeal process and she would be happy to sit down with him and look at those appeals. Ber asks about the Department of Justice charging Newark Mayor Raz Baraka and Congresswoman MacGyver. He says he is going to submit these questions for the record and he is really hoping that they can understand how those decisions are being made.
Open Border Policies and the Sinaloa Cartel [3:14:29]
Senator Ber says there has been a significant movement of law enforcement resources away from many other issues and into immigration enforcement. He asks if Bondi can assure that this process is going to be fixed going forward so better decisions are made at the start and not just after appeals. Bondi says they are reviewing all the grants and she would be happy to work with him on that.
Hulip Packet Enterprises and the Public Integrity Section [3:18:59]
Senator Ber asks if Bondi would commit to coming before the antitrust subcommittee led by Senator Lee to discuss antitrust enforcement in our country. Bondi says she works handinhand with Gail Slater and she will let Gail Slater handle all matters with antitrust. Ber says the public integrity section has gone from 36 full-time prosecutors to now only two.