U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, addressed the Senate floor to criticize what he described as the politicization of the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Attorney General Pam Bondi’s leadership, marking one year since her confirmation.
Durbin recalled his skepticism during Bondi's confirmation hearing, stating, “A year ago, the United States Senate voted to confirm Pam Bondi as Attorney General. As I said during her confirmation hearing last year, the Attorney General must be committed first and foremost to the Constitution and the American people, not to the President and his political agenda. I was unconvinced then that Ms. Bondi shared my view. Over the course of the last year, my concerns, sadly, have been borne out.”
He pointed out that before Bondi’s appointment as Attorney General, President Donald Trump removed senior career officials from both DOJ and FBI. Durbin said these roles were filled by individuals he characterized as partisan loyalists: “In their place came partisan hacks—including a January 6 rioter who encouraged his fellow insurrectionists to murder law enforcement officers protecting the Capitol. He was shouting the words ‘kill ‘em.’ … Under the direction of Attorney General Bondi, these MAGA loyalists pounced on President Trump’s perceived enemies,” Durbin said.
Durbin referenced indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James being dismissed but noted that new investigations had been launched against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Governor Lisa Cook. He asserted these actions targeted those viewed as political adversaries rather than alleged lawbreakers: “The list goes on and on of the enemies of the President who are being prosecuted by the Department of Justice. Why? Not because they broke the law, but because the President believes they are his political enemies.”
Raising concerns about broader implications for Americans, Durbin stated: “And it begs the question: If the President can turn DOJ and the FBI into his own personal police force to target his political enemies, what is stopping him from targeting ordinary Americans? Tragically, we are already seeing the answer to that question in the Department of Justice’s partisan response to Homeland Security Department’s abuses in Chicago and Minneapolis. The Department of Justice has sought to press charges against Americans who peacefully protest like Marimar Martinez in Chicago.” He also criticized a shift in federal law enforcement priorities away from issues such as gun violence and child exploitation.
Durbin described how Attorney General Bondi established a “Weaponization Working Group” intended to investigate federal investigators themselves: “Recent reports suggest the group will soon meet daily, with the goal of producing results in the next two months that reenergize the partisan criminal probes that only exist for sake of one sad man’s ego and revitalize his dangerous conspiracy theories,” he said.
He also cited mismanagement related to high-profile case files: “Let’s take a trip down memory lane: last February, Attorney General claimed she had Epstein’s client list ‘sitting on [her] desk right now to review.’ Several days later...she released a number of binders...already largely publicly available,” Durbin said. He added that following public criticism there was pressure placed on FBI agents regarding mentions of President Trump in those files; this resulted in an unsigned memo walking back previous claims about incriminating evidence.
Further criticizing DOJ conduct under Bondi's tenure he stated: “DOJ continues to slow walk release [of Epstein files], and what they have released has harmed survivors by not appropriately redacting their names...” Durbin accused DOJ officials under Bondi's leadership of failing congressional mandates for transparency.
He concluded by calling for accountability from AG Bondi due to what he called stonewalling Congress's oversight efforts: “No public servant who respects constitutional checks and balances would behave way she has,” Durbin said. “We cannot allow Trump Administration to stonewall or lie to its co-equal branches of government, Congress and Judiciary.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee plays an important role in legislative review and oversight over federal law enforcement agencies such as DOJ (official website). The committee is tasked with upholding constitutional protections nationwide through its responsibilities over judicial nominations and legal matters (official website), influencing civil rights policy across America (official website). It operates as a standing committee based in Washington D.C., including senators from both parties led by a chairperson (official website).
Video footage along with audio recordings from Senator Durbin’s remarks are available online.
