Durbin Requests Crucial, Outstanding Information From DOJ, National Archives On Presidential-Elect Trump's Attorney General Pick, Pam Bondi

Durbin Requests Crucial, Outstanding Information From DOJ, National Archives On Presidential-Elect Trump's Attorney General Pick, Pam Bondi

Given Bondi's lobbying background as a potential conflict of interest, it is critical that the Senate Judiciary Committee receives additional information before her nomination hearing

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requesting records relevant to the Senate Judiciary Committee's consideration of the nomination of President-elect Trump's presumptive nominee to be Attorney General, Pam Bondi.

From January 2019 through November 2019, and again from January 2020 to present, Ms. Bondi has been a lobbyist with Ballard Partners. In this role, she has acted as a Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) registered lobbyist on behalf of several foreign governments or officials, including the government of the Dominican Republic, the Embassy of the State of Qatar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Zimbabwe, and the Republic of Kosovo. She also lobbied on behalf of various organizations. However, Ms. Bondi did not recognize any of these matters or clients as potential conflicts of interest on her Senate Judiciary Questionnaire.

The Senator wrote to DOJ, "To understand the extent to which [Bondi's] work as a FARA-registered lobbyist may create potential conflicts of interest should she be confirmed as Attorney General, the Committee requires additional information from the Department of Justice that is not otherwise available. As you know, FARA-registered lobbyists must produce to the Department of Justice a copy of their written contracts or the conditions of any oral agreements with foreign principals, as well as statements on activities and money spent and received in connection with FARA-related lobbying."

Durbin also requested additional information from NARA that is not otherwise available to understand any conflicts of interest presented by her work as a lobbyist.

In the letters, Durbin requests the outstanding information from both DOJ and NARA by January 15, 2025-the date of her nomination hearing.

The full letter to DOJ can be found here.

The full letter to the National Archives and Records Administration can be found here.

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