Pam Bondi Clashes With Sen. Alex Padilla During Senate Oversight Hearing
At a Senate oversight hearing Attorney General Pam Bondi clashed with Sen. Alex Padilla, appearing combative and largely deflecting his questions as Padilla directly denied her claim that he "stormed" DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's June news conference. Bondi also used the hearing to tout the DOJ’s focus on combating violent crime and interagency efforts, while facing broader Senate scrutiny—including Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s questions about her conversations with President Trump before James Comey’s indictment was made public, recent merger approvals, and concerns about political pressure on the Justice Department.
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Legal
📌 Key Facts
- Pam Bondi testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in her first appearance since being confirmed as attorney general.
- During her testimony Bondi emphasized combating violent crime as a central DOJ priority and highlighted efforts across multiple DOJ components and federal agencies.
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal pressed Bondi about her conversations with President Trump and the White House before James Comey’s indictment was made public.
- Blumenthal also questioned Bondi about the administration’s most recent merger approvals during the same Judiciary Committee appearance.
- CBS News published video showing Bondi became combative and largely deflected questions while Sen. Alex Padilla questioned her at the hearing.
- In the exchange, Padilla directly denied Bondi's claim that he 'stormed' DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's June news conference, saying, 'I did not storm the secretary.'
📰 Sources (4)
Watch: Pam Bondi clashes with Sen. Padilla, deflects his questions at Senate hearing
New information:
- CBS News published video showing Attorney General Pam Bondi became combative while Sen. Alex Padilla questioned her.
- Padilla directly denied Bondi's claim that he 'stormed' DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's June news conference, saying "I did not storm the secretary."
- Bondi is shown largely deflecting Padilla's questions during the hearing, per the CBS News clip.
Watch: Blumenthal asks Bondi about conversations with Trump before Comey's indictment
New information:
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal pressed AG Pam Bondi about her conversations with President Trump and the White House before James Comey’s indictment was made public.
- Blumenthal also asked Bondi about the administration’s most recent merger approvals during the same Judiciary Committee appearance.
Pam Bondi testifies before Senate Judiciary for first time since attorney general confirmation
New information:
- During her appearance Bondi publicly touted a focus on combating violent crime as a central DOJ priority.
- Bondi highlighted efforts across multiple DOJ components and federal agencies under the department's purview during her testimony.