Trump AG pick Pam Bondi met with GOP senators on Capitol Hill to rally support for confirmation hearings
There are justifiable concerns that some of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks could face trouble from establishment Republicans during the Senate confirmation hearings, which could cause problems for Trump and his nominees if more than just a few vote against confirming his would-be officials.
As such, some of Trump's nominees have been making the rounds on Capitol Hill to meet with senators and secure their support before confirmation hearings begin, including his attorney general-designate, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to The National News Desk.
The meetings for Bondi may have more of a formality than a necessity, though, as she is not particularly controversial, has not faced any concerted opposition from any Republicans, and is expected to be confirmed easily to be the next leader of the Justice Department.
GOP counting on Bondi to help reform DOJ
Roll Call reported that AG-designate Bondi met first on Monday with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the likely next chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, followed by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who is currently the ranking GOP member on the committee, both of whom wield significant influence over their fellow Republican colleagues.
In a statement following their meeting, Grassley said Bondi was "a well-qualified nominee with an impressive legal career" who is "prepared to refocus the Justice Department (DOJ)’s attention where it ought to be: on enforcing the law and protecting Americans’ safety."
He noted that transparency and "blind justice" needed to be top priorities for the DOJ, and added, "To achieve this, Bondi will need to show unfailing support for whistleblowers, demonstrate respect for the DOJ Office of Inspector General’s independent oversight, and commit to working with Congress to shed light on the Biden administration’s weaponization of the DOJ."
Senators appeared pleased after meeting with Bondi
Roll Call noted that Bondi also met with Sen. Graham, who told reporters during their meeting that she was a "great pick" by President-elect Trump, and later said on social media that he believed that she was "in my view the right person at the right time to take on the task of being the next Attorney General of the United States. I look forward to the confirmation hearing."
According to Politico, Graham also told reporters that Bondi was "very well qualified" for the role of attorney general, and said, "I don’t think President Trump could have done better. The confirmation hearings will be challenging, as they should be, but I have every confidence that she will acquit herself well."
The outlet noted that Bondi was slated to meet Tuesday with Se. John Kennedy (R-LA), another Judiciary Committee member, who told reporters ahead of their meeting that he intended to do "more listening than talking," and further explained, "I expect all these confirmation hearings to be very robust, and they should be. That’s why God made them, but we’ll properly vet all the president’s nominees, just like we did President Biden’s nominees."
According to The National News Desk, Bondi also met with committee member Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) on Tuesday, after which he told reporters of their discussion, "We talked about her plans for the Justice Department, for getting the DOJ back to prosecuting criminals. I mean, that’s really what the DOJ is about."
Bondi should have little trouble from GOP but could be opposed by Dems
The Washington Examiner first reported last week on President-elect Trump's plans to send some of his top nominees like Bondi to Capitol Hill in the coming days to introduce themselves and build support among the Republican senators they'd need to vote in favor of their confirmations.
"Attorney General Nominee Bondi is looking forward to the confirmation process and answering any questions senators might have," Trump transition spokesman Alex Pfeiffer said at the time. "Attorney General Nominee Bondi’s life has been dedicated to keeping Americans safe. She looks forward to continuing that work at the Department of Justice."
As noted, and unlike some of Trump's other nominees, Bondi isn't expected to face much opposition from Republicans during the confirmation process, though Democrats could try to stir up some trouble for her over her connections and loyalty to the incoming president.
Bondi, who has backed Trump since 2016, has been criticized by some for not filing a lawsuit against Trump University following complaints in 2013, around the same time she accepted a $25,000 donation to her PAC from a Trump-linked organization, as well as for her defense of the former president during his first impeachment trial and her support of his claims of ballot fraud following the 2020 election.