Padilla Presses Attorney General Nominee Pam Bondi During Confirmation Hearing

WATCH: Padilla criticizes Bondi for refusing to uphold constitutional birthright citizenship

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) questioned U.S. Attorney General nominee Pamela Jo Bondi during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Bondi was one of the leading defense lawyers for President-elect Donald Trump during his first impeachment trial and supported Trump's false claims of 2020 presidential election fraud. Padilla joined his Democratic colleagues in expressing concerns about Bondi's ability to run the Department of Justice independently and free from the improper influence of President-elect Trump.

As Trump threatens to revoke birthright citizenship from millions of Americans, Padilla pressed Bondi for a commitment to uphold the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship for people born in the United States - including to parents who are undocumented. Bondi declined to defend birthright citizenship and instead said she would "study" it. However, Padilla successfully pushed Bondi to disagree with President-elect Trump's hateful rhetoric that immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country."

Padilla also questioned Bondi about the central role that she played in originating and spreading lies about the 2020 election - specifically her allegations of "cheating," for which she is to this day unable to provide any evidence. Bondi traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the day after the general presidential election in 2020 to appear alongside Rudy Giuliani where she falsely asserted that Trump had won Pennsylvania despite there being at least 1 million ballots still left to count. Since then, Bondi has continued to double down on President-elect Trump's Big Lie and, when pressed by Padilla, she refused to answer a "yes or no" question on whether she had evidence to support the Big Lie or to retract her previous statements.

As Florida Attorney General, Bondi defended strict state abortion laws, including mandatory waiting periods and parental consent requirements. Padilla secured Bondi's commitment that she would not let her personal beliefs on abortion influence her actions in office.

Key Excerpts:

PADILLA: In the following days, even after the results were clear, you continued to double down on the Big Lie, promoting falsehoods about election fraud and cheating without offering any actual evidence, and I remember it clearly because I served as California Secretary of State at the time, and I invited anybody associated with the Trump campaign who was making these claims to come forward with evidence of irregularities in the election or massive voter fraud. Four years later, I still have seen none.

[…]

PADILLA: Do you have evidence? Yes or no?

BONDI: I traveled to Pennsylvania.

PADILLA: Do you have the evidence? Yes or no?

BONDI: I traveled, Senator, to Pennsylvania.

PADILLA: Okay, you're not answering my question. If you have no evidence to offer, let me ask you this, will you now retract your previous statements that Trump won Pennsylvania in the 2020 election? Yes or no?

BONDI: Oh, Senator, I traveled to Pennsylvania, and let me tell you what I saw firsthand.

PADILLA: Yes or no?

[…]

PADILLA: It's imperative, Ms. Bondi, that you subscribe to facts and evidence and not politically convenient conspiracy theories. Your job will be, I'm speaking, your job will be to protect voters and election workers, not to undermine and dox them.

[…]

PADILLA: On the 14th Amendment, now you've testified repeatedly to this committee that you will uphold the laws of this country and defend the Constitution of the United States. Do you believe birthright citizenship is the law of the land, and will you defend it regardless of, [for] a child born in the United States, regardless of their parents' immigration status?

BONDI: Senator, I will study birthright citizenship. I would love to meet with you regarding birthright citizenship. Can I answer the question?

PADILLA: You're asking us to consider you to serve as Attorney General of the United States, and you still need to study the 14th Amendment of the Constitution? That is not helping me have more confidence in your ability to do this job.

[…]

PADILLA: When you were a Florida Attorney General, you defended restrictive abortion laws, including mandatory waiting periods and parental consent requirements. If confirmed as Attorney General, would you advocate for similar restrictions at the federal level?

BONDI: I will follow the law of the United States of America.

PADILLA: Okay, well I'm asking this question because there is a difference between federal law and Florida law. There is a difference between the law and your personal views. … How would you ensure your personal views don't influence your decisions as Attorney General in cases involving reproductive health?

BONDI: Oh, my personal, no, my personal feelings would not influence, Senator.

More information on the hearing is available here.

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