By Sam Dorman and Jacob Burg
Attorney General Pam Bondi testified about a wide array of topics before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Oct. 7, defending some of the Justice Department’s moves while sparring with Democratic senators.
The hearing, which was intended for oversight, featured questions about the department’s investigations into high-profile figures such as convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and former FBI Director James Comey, and the firings of employees who investigated President Donald Trump or opposed Comey’s indictment.
Bondi’s testimony came after others from FBI Director Kash Patel, who, like Bondi, touted the administration’s objectives and actions within Trump’s second term.
Here are some key takeaways from the hearing.
Cold Reception for ‘Arctic Frost’
One of the top issues highlighted by Republican senators was newly surfaced activity dubbed “Arctic Frost,” wherein the FBI sought data in 2023 from the phones of eight Republican senators.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said the investigation focused on phone data from Jan. 4, 2021, to Jan. 7, 2021—around the time of the chaos that unfolded on Capitol Hill around certifying the 2020 presidential election.
According to Grassley, this investigation served as a basis for former special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of Trump in Washington.
Grassley told Bondi on Oct. 7 that the FBI’s activities were an “outrage, an unconstitutional breach,” and something she should address with Patel.
“Operation Arctic Frost was an unconstitutional, undemocratic abuse of power,” Bondi told Grassley.
“During Arctic Frost, the FBI also placed 92 linked Republican individuals and Republican groups, such as Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point, on their list.”
The day before the hearing, Grassley released an FBI document that he said showed the agency targeted various Republican members of Congress, including Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
Both sit on the Judiciary Committee and criticized the investigation on Oct. 7.
“This is the kind of conduct that shattered the American people’s faith in our government,” Bondi said at one point.
She also pledged to work with Patel on the issue, but said there was limited information she could disclose at the time.
Both Parties Criticize DOJ Weaponization
“Arctic Frost” was part of an ongoing and fiery conversation Trump’s appointees have had with senators over the alleged weaponization of the Department of Justice.
Both Bondi and Patel have vowed to end it following what they’ve described as abusive prosecutions by the Biden administration.
But according to Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Bondi was weaponizing the department herself.
“The attorney general has systematically weaponized our nation’s leading law enforcement agency to protect President Trump and his allies, and attack his opponents,” Durbin said in his opening statement.
He pointed to how the department had purged career officials within the department despite purported needs on things like countering hate crimes.
He also noted the dismissal of corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams and how prosecutors departed amid that decision; an investigation into the state’s attorney general, Letitia James; and the indictment against Comey.
“In eight short months, you have fundamentally transformed the Justice Department and left an enormous stain in American history,” Durbin told Bondi.
Bondi, meanwhile, framed her tenure as helping to restore trust after wrongdoing by the prior administration.
The Biden administration, she alleged, betrayed public trust and shattered Americans’ faith in law enforcement.
“We will work to earn that back every single day,” she said. “We are returning to our core mission of fighting real crime. While there is more work to do, I believe in eight short months, we have made tremendous progress towards those ends.”
ICE Attacks, Federal Law Enforcement Efforts
In her opening statement, Bondi touted the Trump administration’s crime enforcement efforts at the Justice Department, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
She said federal surges led to more than 3,800 arrests in Washington and 365 illegal gun seizures in Memphis.
“The FBI just conducted a months-long operation called Summer Heat, which resulted in over 8600 arrests from June to September, more than 6500 arrests fell under the FBI violent crime and gang program,” Bondi said.
She added that the DEA has seized nearly $470 million in criminal assets and that federal marshals have arrested more than 51,000 fugitives nationwide since Trump’s inauguration.
“Under the leadership of acting director Dan Driscoll, ATF has taken more than 23,000 illegal guns off our streets, 3400 of those guns have been linked to trafficking between the United States and Mexico,” Bondi said.
She said there had been a “1,000 percent increase in violent attacks against our ICE officers” since Trump’s inauguration in January.
Democrats Press on DOJ Firings, Homan Probe
Multiple Democratic senators pressed Bondi on a wide range of topics on Tuesday, including recent firings at the Justice Department; a bribery probe into Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan; and her statements on Epstein.
Durbin questioned Bondi about whether she consulted with the White House before the Trump administration deployed the National Guard to multiple American cities.
“I am not going to discuss any internal conversations with the White House,” Bondi replied.
After she pivoted to the ongoing government shutdown and implied Durbin’s “no” votes on GOP funding bills were depriving law enforcement officers of pay, Durbin said Bondi’s remarks were characteristic of the “kind of testimony you expect from this administration.”
In response to questions about recent firings at the Justice Department that Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said came after a conservative commentator criticized a top official for alleged resistance to Comey’s indictment, Bondi repeatedly said she was “not going to discuss personnel decisions.”
Democrats also mentioned the since-closed Justice Department bribery investigation into Homan’s allegedly accepting a $50,000 bag of cash from an undercover FBI agent last year, asking what happened to the money.
Bondi said that Homan was “subjected to a full review by the FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors” and said they found no evidence of wrongdoing.
