The nominee for attorney general grilled on loyalty to Trump

Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, said she would not use the U.S. Justice Department to target people based on their politics during her confirmation hearing Wednesday.

“There will never be an enemy list in the Department of Justice,” she told senators when repeatedly pressed on her loyalty to Trump. “I don’t want to politicize that office.”

But Bondi, who would become the nation’s top law enforcement official if confirmed to the role in a Senate vote, did not rule out directly launching investigations into those the president-elect has run into.

“It would be irresponsible of me to commit to anything,” she said when asked if she would investigate Jack Smith, who led two criminal cases against Trump.

Trump repeatedly threatened to investigate and potentially prosecute his political enemies during the election campaign.

Bondi, who is likely to be confirmed as the 87th U.S. attorney general given the Republican majority in the chamber, stressed throughout the hearing that she would remain independent.

But she echoed Trump’s view that federal prosecutions against him were political persecution, saying the department had “been gunned down for years and years and years.”

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican, said the department had become “infected with political decision-making” and said it has been “weaponized” under the Biden administration, particularly against Trump.

Those descriptions were echoed by other Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Bondi agreed with their assessment.

Questions from Democratic senators, meanwhile, focused on whether Bondi would say no to the president-elect.

“The concern is that weaponization of the Justice Department may very well occur during your tenure,” Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse told Bondi. “We want to make sure that is not the case that you remain independent.”

They also focused part of their questioning on FBI director nominee Kash Patel, who, if confirmed, would report to Bondi.

The FBI nominee has said he has an “enemies list” of people he will pursue if confirmed. Several senators asked Bondi about those comments, but she said she had not heard them and the Justice Department did not want such a list.

Bondi also told the committee she would look at potential pardons for Capitol rioters on a case-by-case basis, but added that she condemned “any violence against a law enforcement officer in this country.”

The Attorney General serves as the head of the Department of Justice, which enforces federal laws. If confirmed in the role, Bondi will provide legal advice and opinions to the president and heads of executive departments.

Her confirmation vote has not yet been scheduled, but is expected in the coming days.

On Wednesday, the senators also questioned Marco Rubio, who is expected to be confirmed as Trump’s secretary of state.

He warned that Washington must change course to avoid becoming more dependent on China and promised to overhaul US foreign policy to focus on American interests.