Attorney General Pam Bondi faced intense questioning from the Senate Judiciary Committee about her leadership of the Justice Department and allegations that she has transformed it into a political weapon for President Donald Trump against his critics.
During a contentious four-hour hearing on October 7, 2025, Democrats accused Bondi of undermining the traditional independence of the Justice Department, while Republicans defended her efforts to end what they call previous “weaponization” of the department against Trump.
The hearing came just two weeks after former FBI Director James Comey was indicted on charges of making false statements and obstructing Congress during testimony in 2020. Comey is scheduled to appear in court on October 8.
Senator Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the committee, didn’t mince words: “In eight short months, you have fundamentally transformed the justice department and left an enormous stain in American history. It will take decades to recover.”
Democrats pointed to a September 20 social media post where Trump appeared to direct Bondi to take action against his perceived enemies. In that post addressed to “Pam,” Trump demanded “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” When asked if she was the “Pam” being referenced, Bondi confirmed, “I’m sure I was.”
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The timing of Comey’s indictment raised eyebrows, as it came shortly after Trump’s public demand. Further fueling controversy, Bondi had dinner at the White House with Trump the night before Comey was indicted, though she refused to discuss any conversations from that meeting.
Critics note that Trump removed Erik Siebert, the top prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia who had expressed concerns about cases against Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump then installed Lindsey Halligan, a former personal attorney with no prosecutorial experience, who secured the indictment against Comey despite objections from career prosecutors about the case’s strength.
Other investigations into Trump critics have also drawn attention, including probes involving Senator Adam Schiff, former national security advisor John Bolton, and New York Attorney General Letitia James – all named in Trump’s social media post.
Bondi repeatedly refused to answer questions about these investigations, calling them “personnel matters” or “ongoing cases.” She also declined to discuss the decision to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago and other Democratic-led cities, or her reversal on releasing Jeffrey Epstein case files.
Throughout the hearing, Bondi maintained she was fulfilling her pledge to restore public trust. “We are returning to our core mission of fighting real crime,” she said, adding, “I pledged that I would end the weaponization also of the Justice Department and that America would once again have a one-tier system of justice for all. And that is what we are doing.”
Republicans supported Bondi, pointing to what they called the previous administration’s weaponization of the department against Trump. Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley highlighted FBI documents showing that special counsel Jack Smith gathered phone records of eight Republican senators during his investigation into Trump.
Nearly 300 former Justice Department employees released a letter before the hearing, warning that the administration was “taking a sledgehammer” to longstanding institutional work and norms.
When asked if she had upheld her confirmation hearing commitment to keep the department independent, Bondi replied, “I absolutely have upheld that commitment, senator.”
The hearing highlighted the deep partisan divide over the Justice Department’s proper role and raised serious questions about the firewall between presidential politics and the pursuit of justice.
