her to do so. i know that well because i worked alongside pam bondi for eight years when i was governor of florida and she was florida's elected attorney general. working to approve the lives of floridians to make it the best state in the nation to live and raise a family. she was an incredible partner working to keep florida safe and uphold the laws of our state insuring crime is pursued by law enforcement and prosecutors. president trump made clear one of his top priorities is reverse the rising rates of crime and violent crime that have playinged our communities over the past four years, pam bondi is equipped to advance this attorney at u.s. attorney general. she has a proven track record of success in achieving dramatic reductions in crime and violent crime during her time as florida's attorney general. from 2010, the year before she took office to 2018, the last year she was in office, together

florida experienced a remarkable 26% drop in overall crime including a 19.6% drop in violent crime and 27.4% drop in property crime. these aren't just numb gears but tens of thousands of lives saved and communities improved and made safer and families and businesses protected. florida's attorney general pam bondi spearheaded other lifesaving initiatives like tackling the opioid epidemic, fighting human trafficking. her achievements are too many for me to list in this short introduction. she will restore law and order to the nation. put americans' interests first and make the nation a better and safer place. i urge every single member of this committee to support my friend pam bondi and look forward to voting for her confirmation soon on the senate floor and help her get to work for the many a can people -- the american people, thank you, chairman.

>> thank you, mr. chairman, ranking member durbin and members of the committee. a and honor and privilege to introduce pam bondi. i have oh he known and worked closely with pam for years and glad to call her a friend. when pam was nominated by president trump my reaction was this is a home run. as many of us are, i was only to be outdone by senator graham who described it as a grand slam hat-trick, slam dunk, olympic gold medal pick and he is right. as the letter joined by more than 100 former justice department officials put it. it is all too rare for senior department officials much less attorneys general to have such a wealth of experience in the day-to-day work of keeping our communities safe, end quote. pam exemplifies and per son files the department of justice's mission to uphold the rule of law, to keep our

communities safe, and to protect our rights and liberties as americans. pam has distinguished hearse taken her from her small town upbringing to a hearing before this esteemed committee. after attending the university of florida and stetston college of law she started her career as a local prosecutor for nearly two decades she kept her community safe, prosecuting violent criminals, drug dealers, those who would threaten the local community and those who stood in opposition to the rule of law. pam's fellow floridians then elected her to serve as florida's attorney general where she was the first woman in state history elected to that office. as a former state attorney general myself, i can vouch for the deep experience that pam bondi has developed from serving in that role. as the chief law enforcement official in her state. she worked with local

prosecutors to fight crime, worked to protect our constitutional rights, the constitutional rights of floridians and stood up for the little guy by taking on abuses of power. as florida's attorney general she worked tirelessly to combat the opioid crisis and helping combat the widespread misuse and trafficking of deadly drugs including fentanyl that has devastated communities across the country. she stood up for floridians resulting in 46 billion in compensation to victims. after the deep water horizon oil spill pam stood up for floridians by getting $2 billion from the companies responsible. on a more personal note pam has always taken it upon herself to help others. she is incredibly generous and someone i could always count on. she is truthful, tough and a

born leader. she has charted her own course with the rare combination of backbone and heart. the next attorney general of the united states must restore trust by reversing the weaponization we've seen the last four years and refocusing that department to its core mission administering justice. the next attorney general must promote the rule of law, take on violent crime, keep our communities safe and safeguard the god given rights that each american has protected in our constitution. i can think of no one, no one more up to that task than pam bondi. a career prosecutor and widely respected attorney general with the prudence, fortitude and teamer answer for this very important job. mr. chairman, it is an honor for me to introduce pam bondi to this committee and our country and speak on her behalf and my hope her nomination will be swiftly confirmed. >> thank you, senator schmitt.

i would like to administer the oath before you are seated. would you please raise your right hand and answer this question. do you swear that the testimony you are about to give to this committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you god? please be seated and move ahead with your opening statement. >> thank you, chairman grassley, ranking member durbin and members of the senate judiciary committee. i have had the opportunity to meet with almost all of you and i greatly appreciate that. i'm grateful to president trump and to this committee for your consideration to be the 87th attorney general of the united states. i would not be here without my

family. and if you can bear with me for just a moment a lot of them have made a very long trip and i wrote them all down so i don't forget anyone. my beautiful mother, retired kindergarten teacher, would not be here without my mom. as of a week ago it was 12 years since we lost my dad to leukemia, feels like 12 days. my amazing husband, john. and his two incredible girls collins and finley. collins is a senior at the university of florida and all of you will be happy to know finley is in cybersecurity. there is a third who is traveling abroad. i wish she could be here. my amazing father-in-law, david, my sister, beth, my brother-in-law is home with my niece. my nephews if you could raise your hand evan, jake and soon to

be niece savannah. my brother, brad, a brilliant lawyer. my sister-in-law, candi and my nephews justin who just got a 4.0 at uva. rex, great college tennis player, brad, great tennis player and my niece rhea and the little guy is in school because he is ten. my friends leslie, kathy, deana, tiffany, kim, paula and so many of my former co-workers and ranking member durbin if you want to get dirt on me these women have known me since i was a child. seriously, most of them. so thank you for indulging me in that. they have all made a very long trip to be here and thank you for holding my hearing as well and not postponing it. i appreciate that. thank you all. from the moment i interned at

the state attorney's office in tampa, florida, all i wanted to do is be a prosecutor. the supreme court certified me and i had four jury trials while still-in-law school. lost most of them but had four jury trials and never wanted to do anything else. i continued my career there trying everything from duis, domestic violence cases, capital murder cases, the whole gamut. i become a lead trial attorney trying criminals. deputy chief of the division and ultimately felony bureau chief and left to become florida's 37th attorney general for the state of florida. nothing has impacted my career more than my experience as a state prosecutor because i got to know and still keep in touch

with many victims and their families from when i was a prosecutor. upon becoming attorney general in 2011, i proudly served for two terms. i was term limited. i would probably still be there right now had i not been kicked out of office by term limits. i loved being attorney general. i did my best to keep florida safe, to continue to stand up for victims of crime, and to fight the opioid crisis and the drug crisis that was not only facing florida, but this entire country. out of the top 100 -- this is one of the things i'm the most proud of -- oxycodone dispensers in the entire country. 98 or 99 of them lived in florida. we fought for tough legislation, kids were dropping dead every day. we fought for tough legislation

and after that legislation, none of those opioid dealers, doctors practiced in florida. we fought to eliminate human trafficking by raising awareness and prevention and talking to parents and talking to children. we also provided critical resources including safe houses that my state was lacking. on the civil side, we worked to protect consumers. we tackled everything including off-label prescription marketing, which affects, as you know, many, many people who can't afford prescriptions as well. we partnered with states attorneys general from both parties and federal agencies across administrations. we went after price gougers during hurricanes. if confirmed as the next attorney general of the united states, my overriding objective

will be to return the department of justice to its core mission of keeping americans safe and vigorously prosecuting criminals. and that includes getting back to basics. gangs, drugs, terrorists, cartels, our border and our foreign adversaries. that i american people expect and that is what they deserve from the department of justice. if confirmed, i will do everything in my power and it will be my great responsibility to make america safe again. making america safe again also requires reducing repeatism. we have to fix the bureau of prisons and i am looking on both sides of the aisle. the bureau has suffered from years of mismanagement, lack of

funding, and low morale. i was proud to support president trump's first step act. i think more can be implemented and more can be done on that front. president trump's leadership on criminal justice reform has demonstrated what is possible when a president is unafraid to do things that have been deemed to be too difficult. we have to reach across the aisle and get solutions for all of these problems. like the president, i believe we are on the cusp of a new golden age where the department of justice can and will do better if i am confirmed. lastly and most importantly, if confirmed i will fight every day to restore confidence and integrity to the department of justice and each of its components. the partisanship, the

weaponization will be gone. america will have one tier of justice for all. in all this work i will collaborate closely with this committee. i will work with all of you as i have committed to do when i met with almost all of you. and i will partner not only with the federal agencies but with the state and local officials throughout our great country. i look forward to answering your questions today and working together for this country and our constitution. thank you, senators. >> i will ask first questions and then senator durbin and then i will call on the democrat people the way that senator durbin would say so on their arrival or here by seniority in

the same way on the house side, and i will make sure that i don't abuse the seven minutes. i want you to have your attention on this binder that i put up here. it gets to a key factor of each senator's role in oversight. it contains 144 oversight letters that i sent to the biden-harris justice department and it is component agencies with many of those letters in there to the f.b.i. adding letters to the inspector general that would be about 165 letters, so i've sent more letters since you've been in my office before christmas. should you be confirmed, 144 letters will be your responsibility, the responses i have received so far fall in two

categories, first they weren't answered at all, second i received a response but it didn't fully respond, said another way the justice department merely sent me words on a piece of paper, so should you be confirmed, you will have an obligation to respond even to the minority and consider a letter from them even if my signature is not on it, as they want information. will you commit to responding to my oversight requests as well as the requests of other members of the committee? >> chairman, either i or my top staff will personally review the letters and do everything we can to respond to you. >> your tenure as florida

attorney general was impressive. you fought against pill mills, human trafficking, you eliminated a backlog of rape test kits in state labs. you fought against organized retail theft and you were known to stand for law and order. with such achievements it's easy to see why the people of florida reelected you in 2014 and why president-elect trump nominated you to serve as the nation's chief law enforcement officer. so this gives you a chance to tell us on this committee and the people of this country what you are proud of as your record as attorney general of florida. >> thank you, sir. i was truly honored to serve the people of the state of florida for eight years but it was a team effort. i had great people around me. many of whom are in this room

today. we did a lot. we did a lot to fight crime and i've been reminiscing a lot since i was asked to take this nomination. op opioids, i went through the entire state of florida. parents were with you aing up to me handing me pictures of their children who were deceased. from opioid abuse. after i was elected, i took those pictures and i framed them in my office as a goal of stopping that fight, which i talked about in my opening statement. and as u.s. attorney general i will bring the pictures back out and they will be there to inspire me on the further drug abuse we're facing throughout this country. we also learned that something else was happening, pregnant women were having babies as a result of being opioid

dependent. neonatal abstinence syndrome. we fought to educate mothers, fentanyl was wreaking havoc in our country but just getting started. i actually thought my own party a bit on scheduling fentanyl because at that time people thought it was something you merely got in the hospital on a patch after surgery. apples and oranges and boy do we all know that now, the difference. fentanyl is raging throughout our country and i will do everything i can to fight that with the agencies that fall under the department of justice. human trafficking became a top priority for me as attorney general. i had the opportunity on a bipartisan trip to go to mexico and the one thing i found out there, they were doing better than we were. they had safe houses. i saw things i never dreamed i would see and all of these things in my past have formed the person i am right now

sitting here before you. i came back to florida, we started a human trafficking council, and we partnered with others and we expanded and added safe houses in the state of florida. i don't know how many are in this country right now but i would like to partner with both sides, if confirmed, to continue those efforts. >> i would like to interrupt you. go to another question. and i will have another round so you can finish on that point. i would like to ask you about something that is central to fighting government waste and fraud. the false claims act. i want you to know that attorney general garland calls me once a year. he called me yesterday to tell me the success of the false claims act since 1986 when i got it passed and president reagan

signed it. it has brought in $78 billion as of yesterday, his report, over 2 million for the years of 2024. most of that is because of patriotic whistleblowers who found the fraud and brought the cases forward at their own risk. the supreme court has long upheld the law's constitutionality but i want you to know your view is the false claims act constitutional? before you answer that, one time in the 1990s, one of the attorney generals said it wasn't constitutional and that same person by the name of barr was back five years ago to be attorney general and said it was constitutional. if confirmed will you commit -- answer that first question, do you think it's constitutional? would you defend the

constitutionality of it? >> i would defend the constitutionality of the false claims act, senator. >> last question, if confirmed, would you commit to continue d.o.j.'s defense of the constitutionality of it and will you assure the entire staff and funding levels to properly support and prosecute false claim cases. >> senator the false claims act is so important especially by what you said with whistleblowers as well and the protection and the money it brings back to our country, yes, sir. >> thank you for your answer. senator durbin. >> thank you, ms. bondi, if you are successful in this nomination the democrat would like to give you three words of advice, answer grassley's letters. you will never hear the end of it if you don't. at issue i believe in this nam notification hearing is not your competence nor your experience. at issue is your ability to say

no. more than any other cabinet official, the attorney general has to be prepared to put the constitution first and even tell the president of the united states you are wrong. the political danger and personal costs of such a decision are well documented. you have only to ask former attorney general jeff session and bill barr who donald trump sacked for lack of loyalty. so i have three basic questions i would like to ask you. most americans believe that central to the peaceful transition of power in a democracy is the acceptance of the results of an election. to my knowledge, donald trump has never acknowledged the legal results of the 2020 election. are you prepared to say today under oath without reservation that donald trump lost the presidential contest to joe biden in 2020? >> ranking member durbin, president biden is the president of the united states. he was duly sworn in and he is

the president of the united states. there was a peaceful transition of power. president trump left office and was overwhelmingly elected in 2024. >> do you have any doubts that joe biden had the majority of votes, electoral votes necessary to be elected president in 2020? >> senator, all i can tell you as a prosecutor is from my firsthand experience. and i accept the results. i accept, of course, that joe biden is president of the united states. but what i can tell you is what i saw firsthand when i went to pennsylvania as an advocate for the campaign. i was an advocate for the campaign and i was on the ground in pennsylvania and i saw many things there but do i accept the results? of course i do. do i agree with what happened? i saw so much -- no one from either side of the aisle should want there to be any issues with

election integrity in our country. we should all want our elections to be free and fair and the rules and the laws to be followed. >> i think that question deserves a yes or no and i think the length of your answer is an indication that you weren't prepared to answer yes. have you heard the recording of president trump on january 2, 2021, when he urged the secretary of state of georgia to quote, find 11,780 votes and declare him the winner of that state? >> no, i have heard about it through clips but i have not heard it. >> what was your reaction to president trump making that call? >> i would have to listen to the tape, senator. >> well, a quote that i give you is exact. he said to the georgia secretary of state find 11,780 votes. >> do you have the entire context of that call? i feel like it was much longer than that and may have been

taken out of context. >> it was an hour long and you can certainly listen to it. i hope you will. every american should. as a former prosecutor, are you not concerned that the president of the united states called a state election official and asked them to find enough votes to change the results of the election? >> senator, i have not listened to the hour-long conversation. it is my understanding that is not what he asked him to do. >> you need to listen to it. >> ask a third question, do you believe the january 6th rioters convicted of violence assaults on police officers should be pardoned? >> senator, if confirmed as attorney general of the united states, the pardon, of course, fall under the president. if asked to look at those cases, i will look at each case and advise on a case-by-case basis just as i did my entire career

as a prosecutor. >> you also advised the president on pardons, that's part of your responsibility as attorney general. so i'm asking you do you believe that those who have been convicted of the january 6th riot, violent assaults on our police officers should be pardoned? that's a simple question. >> so senator, i have not seen any of those files, of course. if confirmed and if asked to advise the president, i will look at each and every file but let me be very clear in speaking to you. i condemn any violence on a law enforcement officer in this country. >> let me ask you about your work as a lobbyist for ballard partners. did you not list your position as a lobbying for the country of qatar for $115,000 a month and corporate giants amazon and uber

when you were asked about conflicts of interest. why do you believe your work as a lobbyist does not constitute conflicts of interest. >> that was the firm my firm received. multiple people represented the country of qatar within my firm. i am very proud of the work that i did. it was a short time and i wish it had been longer was anti-human trafficking efforts leading into the world cup which is something i would like to talk about later, too. i was registered as fara along with many members of my firm. that was the sole portion of my representation for qatar. now, if there are any conflicts with anyone i represented in private practice, i would consult with the career ethics officials within the department and make the appropriate decision. i would also like to point out to you i don't believe that i would be the first attorney

general who has represented and advocated for businesses in their past. >> of course not. the question is whether you will recuse yourself from any case involving your ballard clay intis. one of those clients was the geo group, was it not? >> go, yes. >> a private prison company that manages detention facility and correctional institutions. they have faced criticism for safety violations, inadequate healthcare and poor management. the u.s. immigration and customs enforcement is the largest source of revenue for them. they stand to earn hundreds of millions by detain immigrants if there is a mass deportation. would you sense in the conflict of interest if you are asked to judge the performance of this government contractor? >> senator, i will consult with the career ethics officials within the department of justice and make the appropriate decision. >> thank you, mr. chairman. >> senator graham.

>> thank you, congratulations. you forgot to say that john's family was from south carolina. >> upstate, i'm sorry. >> give you a pass on that. so listen, president trump asked a bunch of us who would you pick for attorney general? how many of you have got asked that on our side? he didn't ask dick but he asked me. i said pam bondi. it's an easy decision. i couldn't think of anybody more qualified that he knew and trusted and it's okay to have -- you were his lawyer, right? >> yes, i represented him when they tried to impeach him the first time. >> being trump's lawyer prepares you for many things. yeah, you had a longstanding relationship with the president. he trusts you. that's a good thing. that's probably why president kennedy picked his brother, bobby kennedy. i guess you can say no to your older brother, i'm sure he

would. this idea there is something bad is ridiculous. who do you pick? you pick people you know, you pick people you trust and people who are qualified. i'm glad he picked you. he knows you, he trusts you and you are highly qualified. the idea there is something wrong with that is ridiculous. let's talk about the job you are about to have here. do you support making certain drug cartels in mexico -- >> senator, i personally went to mexico and i personally dealt with these cartels when i was a state prosecutor and they are a grave and violent threat to our country. yes. >> advising president? good. now, when it comes to crossfire hurricane, are those days over if you are attorney general? >> absolutely. >> okay, laken riley, are you familiar with that case? >> sadly i am, senator graham.

>> do you know why the man who killed her was released from custody? he was paroled to a detention capacity at the central processing center in el paso, texas. that is not your call you being d.o.j. but do you agree with me that the statute regarding parole doesn't allow parole to be based on we don't have detention beds? there is nothing in that statute would authorize for that based on lack of capacity? are you familiar with that statute? >> yes, sir, it is frightening. >> are you going to fix it? >> i will do everything in my power to fix it if confirmed as attorney general. >> will you advise president trump we need more beds? tom homan is the guy to do this. would you as attorney general say we need more bed space so laken riley never happens again? >> my job, if confirmed as attorney general will be to keep

america safe. that includes having enough space for violent criminals, for people that should not be in this country who have committed violent crime and laken riley is one of many. >> 41,000 beds in this country to detain people. we have millions of people here illegally. we let this dude go because we didn't have a place to put them. i hope those days are over. if tom you are listening create enough detention space to make sure we don't find this dilemma ever again. do you think we're at war? if so, who with? >> senator, we're at war on so many fronts. >> are we at war with isis? >> of course. >> they are at war with us, do you agree with that? >> absolutely. >> do you think since our withdrawal from afghanistan threats to our homeland have gone up from isis? >> yes. >> march 7, 2024, isis -- abroad

and in as little as six months to little or no warning in march of 2024. general mckenzie isis-k has a strong desire to attack the united states after it began to grow in afghanistan following the u.s. exit in august of 2021. he also stated the threat to isis-k is growing. major general, u.s. remains target number one for isis-k. do you have agree with that? >> senator, i don't have my security clearance but from everything that i've read and heard isis is one of the greatest threats. >> when you get your security clearance these people are coming after us and want to kill us. so i would like to have a strategy to deal with the isis threat that's beyond just the law enforcement model. does that make sense to you that we should use every tool in the tool box?

>> senator, that includes wrapping in our state and local officials, too. better cooperation throughout our country and our world. >> i totally agree. do you support reauthorizing fisa in 2025? >> senator, i believe 702 is up in 2026. i believe it's 2026 and we will closely be looking at that fisa is a very important tool. >> do you agree that the 702 provides important intel gathering capability to protect our nation? >> extremely important. >> okay. so pam, you are about to step into a job that is one of the most important jobs in any democracy. let's go back to pardons. if i'm a lawyer for somebody in jail, would you promise to listen to the application and read it before you made a decision? >> yes. >> okay.

no matter who you are. good. that's the way it works. people want to bargain with you up here. will you do this and that? all i ask you to do is call it as you see it, hire good, competent people and give the president the best legal advice you can, run the department of justice in a manner that other people would want to join us one day. growing up i had a fondness for the f.b.i. watched the show i think every sunday. wanted to be an f.b.i. agent. right now the f.b.i. needs an image overhaul. so you have a real task ahead of you in two areas, to restore trust to many americans who have lost trust in the department of justice and to make sure that this country is safe from drug cartels that are killing 3,000 americans every two weeks for money, to go after these people, and to protect our homeland that's under siege. i think you are the perfect pick at one of the most dangerous times in american history and i look forward to supporting you.

>> thank you, senator. >> senator white house. >> thank you, welcome, ms. bondi. thank you for meeting with me. you were a courtroom prosecutor for many years. did you ever have an enemy's list? >> no, sir. >> you went on to be florida's attorney general. did you ever have an enemy's list? >> no, senator. >> as florida's attorney general you were responsible for hiring into the florida department of attorney general, correct? >> senator, the attorney general's office in florida is the third largest in the state approximately 1400 employees and approximately 400 lawyers. only california and texas are bigger offices, so yes. >> you were responsible for hiring into that office while you were attorney general. >> yes. >> would you have hired someone into the florida attorney general's office who you knew

had an enemy's list? >> senator, to cut to the chase you are clearly talking about kash patel. i don't believe he has an enemy's list. he made a quote on tv that i have not heard. i saw your sign or senator durbin's sign about kash but i know that kash patel has had 60 jury trials as a public defender, as a prosecutor. he has great experience in the intel department, department of defense. i have known kash and i believe that kash is the right person at this time for this job. you will have the ability to question mr. patel when you do. >> i'm questioning whether you will enforce an enemy's list he announced publicly on television. >> there will never be an enemy's list within the department of justice. >> thank you. the f.b.i.'s -- what is the f.b.i.'s role in national

security and counter terrorism and how important is that role? >> you know, senator, i believe now more than ever counter terrorism is so important and vital in our country. we are facing such incredible threats here and abroad. i'm sure many of you saw f.b.i. former f.b.i. director wray's interview on 60 minutes. he talked about the threats that frankly again i don't have my security clearance but the threat facing us, senator, from china right now that are so great. the sleeper cells within our country. >> given that importance, is it responsible to call for shutting down the f.b.i.'s counter terrorism and national security work and will you as attorney general impede or shut down the f.b.i.'s counter terrorism and national security work? >> senator, i believe that

national security is vital right now for our country on so many fronts. and the f.b.i. plays a vital role in counter terrorism throughout our world. i will look at each agency. i have no intention of shutting anything down right now, senator, i am not in that office yet and if confirmed i will look at each individual agency and how it should be managed but counter terrorism right now in our world is vital. >> you have said that department of justice prosecutors will be prosecuted in the trump administration. what department of justice prosecutors will be prosecuted and why? >> i said that on tv. i said prosecutors will be prosecuted to finish the quote if bad. investigators will be investigated. you know, we all take an oath, senator, to uphold the law.

none of us are above the law. let me give you a really good example of a bad lawyer within the justice department. a guy named clinesmith who altered a fisa warrant, one of the most important things we can do in this country. so will everyone be held to an equal -- equal, fair system of justice if i am the next attorney general? absolutely. and no one is above the law. >> under what circumstances will you prosecute journalists for what they write? >> i believe in the freedom of speech. only if anyone commits a crime. it is pretty basic, senator, with anything. with any victim. this goes back to my entire career for 18 years as a prosecutor and then eight years as florida's attorney general. you find the facts of the case, you apply the law in good faith,

and you treat everyone fairly. >> and it would not be appropriate for a prosecutor to start with a name and look for a crime, it's a prosecutor's job to start with a crime and look for a name, correct? >> senator, i think that is the the whole problem with the weaponization that we've seen the last four years and what has been happening to donald trump. they targeted donald trump, they went after him. actually starting back in 2016 they targeted his campaign, they have launched countless investigations against him. that will not be the case if i am attorney general. i will not politicize that office, i will not target people simply because of their political affiliation. justice will be administered

even handedly throughout this country. senator, we have to bring this country back together. we've got to move forward or we will lose our country. >> i think the concern is that weaponization of the justice department may well occur under your tenure and we want to make you remain independent, that you remain able to and willing to n o when that is necessary for -- to protect the constitution and integrity of the department and that's where i'm asking these questions. we talked in the meeting about the contacts policy that has prevailed really since senator hatch sat in that chair and demanded it of the clinton justice department through all the administrations since then with the exception of a brief period under attorney general gonzalez which he corrected and which did not end well for him. there has been a context policy

that limits contacts between the white house and the department of justice to a very few senior officials on each side. in your role as attorney general, if you are confirmed, will you maintain, defend and enforce that longstanding contacts policy? >> senator, yes, i will meet with white house counsel and meet with the appropriate officials and follow the contacts policy. >> my time is expired. thank you. >> senator cornyn. >> your testimony is music to my ears. >> thank you. >> one of the things that i have been most concerned about over the last certainly the last four years and extending back during president trump's administration is weaponization and politicalization of the department of justice which together with the f.b.i. is one of the most important institutions in this country. if people don't trust that their

elected officials will faithfully enforce the law or administer equal justice under the law, they've lost faith in america. and that disturbs me greatly and i know it does you, too, based on what you said. so i'm delighted to hear you say what you have said. but i want to talk about some specific topics. the time is short. first the border. i believe president biden and vice president harris had presided over one of the biggest humanitarian and public safety disasters in american history. senator cruz and i represent a state with 1200 miles of common border with america but as you pointed out with fentanyl, what happens at the border doesn't stay at the border. fentanyl poisoning is the most common cause of death of young people between the age of 18 and

45. we know where it comes from. the precurors come from china, go to the cartels, mix them up and make them look like innocuous pills and young people take them and die. it is just that simple and that tragic. so there is just so much that we could talk about with regard to the border, but i know people have voted for president trump in large part because of his promise to restore security at the border. will you do everything within your power as attorney general to enforce the laws on the books, including the president's executive orders which i anticipate he will be signing on january 20th when he is sworn in and help do everything you can and the department of justice can to restore security to our southern border? >> yes, senator, absolutely. >> one example is, of course, if you come from anywhere in the country and you show up at the

border under the biden and harris administration policies, you will simply be released into the interior of the country either to await a trial date which may never occur due to the enormous backlog or you'll simply be paroled. i know parole has a special context in the criminal law but there this context it's designed to be administered on a case-by-case basis. yet president biden and vice president harris have granted parole, release people into the united states, on a categorical basis or anybody who shows up or because they don't have the detention facilities to keep them. so do you believe laken riley would be alive today if president biden and vice president harris had enforced the law and secured the border? >> senator, he should not have been in our country and then

laken riley would have been alive. i don't think it is just laken riley. there are so many victims throughout our country. not only that, we're all familiar with the violent gangs who are coming into our country, walking into our country freely through the open border. the cartels, the gangs, venezuela has let people out of their prisons. it has been reported. i don't have the security clearance yet to see what is happening, but i know, we all know there are criminals throughout our country and it is my commitment to you on both sides of the aisle that i will do everything in my power with the agencies that fall under me, if i am confirmed, to make america safe again. we have to do that, senator. >> many of us, of course, see classified information on the intelligence committee or generally in our duties as a senator. so you aren't going to feel any

better about the blinking lights, the danger that director wray has talked about. in my closing moments here i want to revisit an issue that is of particular importance. 60% of the president's daily brief, which is the intelligence brief that the director of national intelligence and c.i.a. director deliver to the president comes from section 702 of the foreign intelligence surveillance act. i've called this is most important law that most people have never heard of. i know you have and you are familiar with it. i want to ask you a few questions about that. it's been called the crown jewel of u.s. intelligence. of course, it cannot be used legally used to spy on american citizens. and if it is, it ought to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. i know you would agree with

that. but there have been some, as you know, and as you pointed out to senator graham, we have a temporary extension of the existing authorization for the use of the intelligence community to target foreign threats to our national security that expires in 2026. i would like you just to confirm here on the record that you will enforce that law and you can support the law as it is written. >> senator, i haven't read the entire 702 in front of you but i will commit to reading that and doing everything i can to keep america safe again. >> of course you will. so director ratliff, i will go to his hearing for c.i.a. director. he was confirmed as director of national intelligence, some have argued that in order to query or look at lawfully collected fisa

702 you need a warrant to show a crime has been committed. director ratcliffe has written that a warrant requirement may not achieve its intended objectives and could hinder national security efforts. do you share director ratcliffe's concerns? >> i would read his memo and i will speak to you after i read his memo, senator. >> we need to have -- i hope and i can continue this conversation after this because i think there is a lot of misinformation with regard to how section 702 works. i happen to would be of the members of the intelligence committee and we read that product on a regular basis and not used to spy on american people. i think what's fundamentally missing is a lack of trust in the intelligence community including the f.b.i. which i am

hoping you and mr. patel can restore. thank you. >> thank you. >> senator klobuchar. >> we had a good meeting this week. thank you for that. and i appreciated your priorities on human trafficking that you mentioned today. that work as well as fentanyl and some of your other prosecution experience, we have some similar backgrounds in doing that. and i want to talk about first of all the u.s. attorney's office in minnesota. one of the premier offices in the country instrumental in combating violent crime. dismantling street gangs. taking fentanyl off our streets, enforcing civil rights laws after george floyd's murder. insuring victims of fraud get justice. do you agree it should be a priority to support u.s. attorneys front line prosecutors and case agents who work hard every single day on our streets? >> senator, i think that's one

of the most important things in our country right now. there are so many good men and women within the justice department throughout our country, as well as all the law enforcement agencies. yes, they work very hard and they will be supported. >> the -- i'm concerned about some of the proposals that could put cuts in the cops program and burn jag programs. senator murk murk and i lead that bill. will you commit to continue to support those programs? >> senator, i will read everything about those programs because that is a top priority of mine. i would love to meet with you on that and senator murcowski to support law enforcement and those programs. >> thank you. independence from political interference is vital to the legitimacy and success of the department of justice.

i was troubled by answers to senator durbin's question. we'll continue that discussion on the election. i want to focus on the investigation charging decisions as a prosecutor i'm sure you have this experience. i would call gets from people that's just a kid, give him a break and i remember one answer i gave was he is 40 years old, not a kid. that kind of interference is attempted all the time. whether it's a call from a friend, lobbyist, white house, it has been very clear that the attorney generals of both parties have established clear policies to insure the white house doesn't tamper with criminal investigations and prosecutions, any attempt by the white house and these are the words to interfere with a case is not to be count -- from a political person relating to a

case is to be cut and curtailed. do you agree with this statement? >> senator, yes, i believe that the justice department must be independent and must act independently. the number one job is to enforce the law fairly and even handedly and that's what will be done if i am confirmed as the attorney general. >> so you will provide an insurance to every member of this committee that the justice department will only follow the facts and the law and the white house will play no role in cases investigated or brought? >> senator, it will be my job, if confirmed as attorney general, to make those decisions. politics will not play a part. i have demonstrated that my entire career as a prosecutor, as attorney general, and i will continue to do that if you confirm me as the 87th attorney general of the united states of america. >> and in earlier question with

some of my colleagues talked about china and the risk. yet you have a nominee from this incoming administration kash patel picked to head the f.b.i., serious concerns about him. has referred to the f.b.i.'s intel division which is responsible for protecting us from foreign adversaries like china, as quote the biggest problem the f.b.i. has had and he said that he wants to quote break that component out of the f.b.i. do you agree with? >> i have not seen those comments from mr. patel. i would review them. but we have to do everything we can to protect our country. again, mr. patel would fall under me and the department of justice and i will insure that all laws are followed. so will he. >> okay. there are many decisions made by the f.b.i. director, having seen a number of them do their work, that can be made while i agree you would be the boss of kash

patel i'm not sure that you would be able to intervene with every decision or position he had or know what i is doing. do you agree it's the duty of the justice department to defend the laws congress passes and commit to do even when the president may disagree with an act, campaign against its passage or called for its repeal? president reagan's a.g. william french smith said the department has a duty to defend an act of congress whenever an reasonable argument can be made in its support. i'm specifically referring to the 2022 law that i long led that we passed to medicare and negotiate drug prices, major savings for seniors. will you commit to defend the law against the lawsuits from big pharma? >> senator, i was involved in big pharma cases when i was attorney general of the state of florida and i will commit to protect the laws of the united states of america.

>> thank you. that would also same question with the supreme court is going to be hearing a challenge to the affordable care act's coverage of preventive services and despite the fact that you twice joined suits to have the entire affordable care act invalidated will you commit to defending this law. >> i believe this is very different. it is a very isolated. it is different, not the entire affordable care act but i will -- it is pending litigation, of course, within the department. >> since 1990s the freedom of access to clinic entrances act has protected patients, providers and facilities that provide reproductive health services. will you commit to continuing to enforce the face act to address violence and threats against those providing reproductive healthcare services? >> the face act not only protects abortion clinics, but it also protects pregnancy centers and people going for

counseling. the law should be applied even handedly, yes, senator. >> so you will uphold the enforcement of that law. >> i will uphold the enforcement of the law, senator. >> i will ask my antitrust questions in the next round. we had a good discussion about that and i do appreciate the nominee that has been put in place for the antitrust division and there is incredibly important work that has to be done in that division. thank you. >> i thank all my colleagues for abiding by the seven minute rule. before i call on senator lee, i want everybody to plan on our first break would be about 11:50 and that would be 30 minutes for lunch. senator lee. >> thank you, mr. chairman and ms. bondi for being here today. i share the assessment that slater is great and had a meeting with her yesterday. just thrilled that you are here and willing to serve. i would like to talk to you as a

long-time lawyer and one who has handled a vary tee of criminal matters and talk about the fourth amendment and why it's so require. >> the warrant requirement. i dealt with that since i was in my 20s as a state prosecutor. a warrant protects citizens rights and why it is so important. >> it does that under the forth amendment you are required to go a judge and show a judge evidence providing probable cause and based on that probable cause you can describe in particular the things or persons to be searched or seized. on that basis the judge may issue or not issue the warrant. without it you can't get it. it is time consuming no doubt, right? >> i've done many of them. yes, very time consuming, senator. >> there is probably not a law enforcement officer anywhere in the world who wouldn't acknowledge they could save time if they didn't have to g