By Jeremy Herb, CNN
(CNN) — Donald Trump’s Cupboard nominees for key roles within the intelligence, overseas coverage and legislation enforcement companies all pledged to maintain politics out of their workplaces amid considerations from Democrats that the president-elect will perform his vows to go after his political enemies as soon as in workplace.
Trump’s nominee for legal professional normal, Pam Bondi, repeatedly insisted she wouldn’t enable politics to contaminate her Justice Division – accusing President Joe Biden’s DOJ of being liable for politicizing legislation enforcement in opposition to Trump.
“Every case will be prosecuted based on the facts and the law that’s applied in good faith, period. Politics have got to be taken out of the system,” Bondi mentioned earlier than the Senate Judiciary Committee. “This department has been weaponized for years and years and years, and it has to stop.”
Along with Bondi’s pledge to not be influenced by politics, Trump’s nominee for CIA director, John Ratcliffe, mentioned he wouldn’t impose “political litmus tests” on the company, whereas secretary of state nominee and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, defended the significance of NATO, an alliance Trump has typically questioned.
The affirmation hearings for Trump’s Cupboard picks kicked off Tuesday with a extremely contentious session for protection secretary nominee Pete Hegseth. On Wednesday, the slate of a half-dozen hearings struck a way more conciliatory tone, the place the considerations raised by senators had been in regards to the conduct of the president-elect and never the nominees themselves.
And Democratic senators made clear they weren’t going to blanketly oppose all of Trump’s nominees, together with their colleague, Rubio. Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado launched Trump’s Vitality secretary nominee, fracking CEO Chris Wright, who can be from Colorado.
There are nonetheless extra contentious hearings looming, together with Trump’s nominee for Well being and Human Companies secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; his decide for director of nationwide intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard; and for FBI director, Kash Patel – who was invoked by Democrats a number of occasions throughout Bondi’s listening to.
Listed below are the takeaways from Wednesday’s slate of affirmation hearings:
Bondi vows to steer an impartial Justice Division
Democrats repeatedly pressed Bondi on Wednesday about her capacity to face as much as Trump, who has mentioned he has an “absolute right” to be concerned in Justice Division issues and clashed together with his attorneys normal in his first administration when they didn’t bend to his needs.
“I need to know that you would tell the president ‘no’ if you are asked to do something that is wrong, illegal or unconstitutional,” mentioned Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Judiciary Committee’s prime Democrat.
Bondi responded by blasting the “weaponization” of the Biden Justice Division and mentioned that she wouldn’t improperly goal individuals with prison probes like these in opposition to Trump.
“I will not politicize that office,” Bondi mentioned of being legal professional normal. “I will not target people simply because of their political affiliation.”
Bondi additionally vowed Wednesday to observe the Justice Division’s coverage to restrict contacts between the White Home and the Justice Division.
“I believe this Justice Department must be independent and must act independently,” she mentioned.
Pressed on whether or not she would examine officers Trump has advised must be jailed – together with particular counsel Jack Smith and former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney – Bondi mentioned “no one would be pre-judged.”
Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii pressed Bondi over feedback she made through the 2024 election cycle that “bad” prosecutors must be held criminally accountable.
“Sometimes ‘bad’ is in the eye of the beholder. I am just asking whether you would consider Jack Smith to be one of the people,” Hirono mentioned. “How about Liz Cheney? How about Merrick Garland?”
“Senator, I am not going into hypotheticals,” Bondi responded. “No has been pre-judged, nor will anyone be pre-judged if I am confirmed.”
Trump’s 2020 election lies nonetheless loom over DOJ position
Bondi was questioned about whether or not she accepts that Biden received the 2020 election – a incontrovertible fact that Trump continues to falsely dispute after he tried to overturn the 2020 election outcomes.
Bondi instructed lawmakers Wednesday she accepts that Trump misplaced the 2020 election however falsely claimed “there was a peaceful transition of power” that 12 months, ignoring the January 6, 2021, assault on the US Capitol that disrupted the election certification.
“President Biden is the president of the United States,” Bondi mentioned. “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.”
She additionally sowed doubt in regards to the legitimacy of the 2020 outcomes, citing her on-the-ground authorized work that 12 months for the Trump marketing campaign in Pennsylvania. Trump has falsely claimed there was huge fraud within the state, and dispatched Bondi and different allies like Rudy Giuliani to attempt to overturn the outcomes there.
“I accept the results. I accept, of course, that Joe Biden is President of the United States,” she mentioned. “But what I can tell you is what I saw firsthand when I went to Pennsylvania as an advocate for the (2020) campaign… 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.”
Bondi was additionally questioned about pardons for these convicted of crimes associated to January 6, as Trump has advised he’ll do in some instances as soon as in workplace.
Requested whether or not she believes “violent assaults on police officers should be pardoned,” Bondi mentioned that she would advise the president as her job requires.
“The pardons, of course, fall under the president,” Bondi mentioned. “But 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.”
High Democrat says Rubio ‘well qualified’ to function secretary of state
Rubio, who has served as a senator for greater than a decade, could have obtained the warmest reception from his colleagues when he appeared on the opposite facet of the dais Wednesday as Trump’s nominee to steer the State Division.
New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the highest Democrat on the Senate International Relations Committee, mentioned Rubio “has the skills” and is “well-qualified to serve as secretary of state.”
“I believe this committee has a responsibility to get your team out to the field and we hope you will send us qualified, experienced, and well-vetted nominees to consider,” she mentioned, noting the necessity to affirm profession diplomats.
Throughout questions from senators, Rubio voiced his help for NATO – in addition to the bipartisan legislation he co-sponsored, which states that the US can’t withdraw from the alliance with out Senate approval or an act of Congress.
“I was a co-sponsor of the law, and so it’s tough to say I’m not in support of a law that I helped to pass and that I think it’s an important role for Congress to play,” Rubio instructed the Senate International Relations Committee.
In response to questions on Russia’s battle in opposition to Ukraine, Rubio mentioned it’s “unrealistic to believe” Ukraine can push Russian forces again to the place they had been earlier than the 2022 invasion and that the official US place must be that the battle ought to finish.
Rubio added he and Trump agree in regards to the battle needing to return to an finish and criticized the Biden administration for not setting a transparent “end goal” for the battle.
“What Vladimir Putin has done is unacceptable, there’s no doubt about it, but this war has to end, and I think it should be the official policy of the United States that we want to see it end,” Rubio mentioned.
Whereas Rubio was testifying, the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was introduced, which committee chairman Republican Sen. James Risch of Idaho introduced to the listening to room.
Rubio credited each the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration’s Center East envoy Steve Witkoff for the settlement. “I dare to say that all involved deserve credit for the ceasefire that the chairman has just announced,” Rubio instructed senators.
“Before we all celebrate, though, obviously, we’re all going to want to see how that executes,” Risch cautioned.
Ratcliffe pledges an ‘apolitical’ intelligence neighborhood
Testifying earlier than the Senate Intelligence Committee, Ratcliffe pledged to not politicize his work and the intelligence that’s produced within the Trump administration. He instructed the committee he would by no means enable “political or personal biases to cloud our judgement or infect our products.”
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the highest Democrat on the committee, urged Ratcliffe to reassure rank-and-file intelligence officers that they “need not fear reprisal for speaking truth to power.”
The Virginia Democrat expressed considerations in regards to the assaults that some Trump loyalists have made in opposition to the intelligence neighborhood, asking Ratcliffe to commit to not fireplace or power out CIA staff due to their political opinions.
“If you are asked to remove personnel, to get rid of individuals based upon this kind of political litmus test, I’d ask that you keep the committee informed of those, those requests,” Warner mentioned to Ratcliffe.
“I certainly will,” Ratcliffe mentioned.
“I think my record in terms of speaking truth to power and defending the intelligence community and its good work is very clear,” Ratcliffe added.
CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Marshall Cohen, Zachary Cohen, Michael Conte, Jennifer Hansler, Ella Nilsen, Evan Perez, Katelyn Polantz, Hannah Rabinowitz and Manu Raju contributed to this report.
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