Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee have criticized Attorney General Bondi for what they describe as “inappropriate and unprecedented stonewalling” during a recent Justice Department oversight hearing. The criticism was detailed in a letter sent to Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley by Senator Dick Durbin, the Ranking Member, along with all Democratic members of the committee.
The letter stated: “[I]nstead of engaging in good faith with Committee members who have a constitutional obligation to conduct oversight of her management of the Department, its authorities, and resources, Attorney General Bondi refused to answer legitimate questions from both Democratic and Republican Members of the Committee and instead repeatedly launched partisan attacks against Democratic Members.”
The senators highlighted several concerns about Bondi’s responses during the hearing. They wrote that Bondi “rebuffed any transparency” regarding domestic deployment of the National Guard, “with[held] information from Congress” about armed conflict with drug cartels, “hid behind a generic response” on terminations of prosecutors, and was generally “prepared to make ad hominem attacks on Democratic senators in an attempt to deflect legitimate oversight questions.”
The letter continued: “This is not the conduct of a public servant who respects constitutional checks and balances.”
In their closing remarks, the Democratic senators called on Chairman Grassley to support efforts compelling the Justice Department to cooperate with congressional oversight. They wrote: “We would never have accepted such conduct from an Attorney General appointed by a Democratic president. We cannot allow the Trump Administration to stonewall Congress as it continues to undo our nation’s constitutional order and undermine the rule of law. We ask you to help us defend the Constitution, and Congress as a co-equal branch of the federal government, because no one is served by a Congress that allows an Administration—of either party—to reject its oversight authority and usurp its legislative function.”
