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Donald Trump’s nominees to be the next US attorney general and secretary of state, Pam Bondi and Marco Rubio, are among the latest batch of cabinet picks set for Senate confirmation hearings on Wednesday.
Florida Attorney General Bondi has been accused of amplifying Trump’s false claims about the 2020 presidential election and represented him at his first impeachment trial in 2019. Senator Rubio was once a bitter rival to the president-elect for the Republican presidential nomination, trading insults in the 2016 primaries — something that will likely come up today.
Chris Wright (secretary of energy), John Ratcliffe (CIA director), Sean Duffy (secretary of transportation), and Russell Vought (director of the Office of Management and Budget) also have hearings scheduled today with the relevant committees.
They follow in the footsteps of Pete Hegseth, the president-elect’s choice for secretary of defense, who endured a fiery hearing on Tuesday in which he called for the return of “American warriors” at the Pentagon but faced aggressive questioning about his checkered personal history.
Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom has invited Trump to visit Los Angeles to witness the devastation wrought by January’s wildfires, rather than merely criticize the emergency response from social media.
Watch LIVE: Donald Trump’s secretary of state pick Marco Rubio grilled in confirmation hearing
Oliver O’Connell15 January 2025 15:18
Bondi vows to ‘make America safe again’ and end ‘weaponization’ of DOJ
In her opening statement, Pam Bondi says: “If confirmed, I will do everything in my power and it will be my great responsibility to make America safe again.”
Bondi stresses a “back to basics” role at the Justice Department in prosecuting violent crime and terrorism (an argument that suggests she doesn’t think federal prosecutors are doing this already), but she throws in at the end of her opening statement that the “partisanship” and “weaponization will be gone.”
There will be “one tier of justice for all,” echoing claims from Trump and his allies of a two-tier system of justice under Attorney General Merrick Garland and President Joe Biden.
Oliver O’Connell15 January 2025 15:17
Democrats won’t shy away from Bondi’s role in 2020 election denial
Ranking Democrat Senator Dick Durbin, in his opening remarks, says: “Ms Bondi, you are one of four Trump personal lawyers that he has already selected for top positions in the DOJ. You joined Mr Trump in working to overturn the 2020 election. You repeatedly described investigations and prosecutions of Mr Trump as ‘witch hunts.’”
Oliver O’Connell15 January 2025 15:12
Read Pam Bondi’s responses to Judiciary Committee questionnaire
As with all non-judicial nominees, Pam Bondi was required to fill in a questionnaire ahead of her hearing.
It reveals she owns 75,000 shares in DJT Media (the umbrella company for Truth Social), currently valued at approximately $3 million.
In her questionnaire, she notes that she has lobbied for Amazon, Qatar, the MLB, and the private prison company GEO Group, among many others.
Oliver O’Connell15 January 2025 15:07
Speaker Johnson order Capitol flags to be raised to full height
The House Speaker has ordered that flags at the US Capitol be raised to their full height on Inauguration Day, pausing a 30-day flag-lowering order following the death of former president Jimmy Carter.
The Republican leader’s decision means that Donald Trump will not take the oath of office for his second term under a half-staff flag, a prospect that he had previously complained about.
It mirrors actions taken in recent days by some Republican governors who have announced that flags in their states would be raised on Inauguration Day to mark Trump’s second term.
Joe Sommerlad15 January 2025 15:05
In pictures: Pam Bondi arrives for Senate confirmation hearing
Oliver O’Connell15 January 2025 14:59
Watch: GOP senator wants Trump to force California to repeal climate rules for aid
Oliver O’Connell15 January 2025 14:47
Nancy Mace threatens to ‘take it outside’ with Jasmine Crockett at hearing
The attention-seeking South Carolina Representative appeared to challenge her Texas Democratic colleague to a fistfight on Tuesday during a contentious hearing about the shape of the incoming Congress.
Josh Marcus has more on another absurd performance from Mace.
Joe Sommerlad15 January 2025 14:45
Bondi would be joined by other members of Trump’s legal team if confirmed
If she’s confirmed, Pam Bondi — who represented Donald Trump during his impeachment — could end up overseeing a Justice Department led by other attorneys for the president. Her deputy managing the agency’s day to day could be Trump’s criminal defense attorney Todd Blanche, his deputy could be his law partner Emil Bove, and the deputy handling the civil rights division could be Harmeet Dhillon, who led more than a dozen election challenges on behalf of the Trump campaign.
Alex Woodward15 January 2025 14:37
