Van Hollen Tells Pam Bondi That DOJ Is Failing To Uphold The Rule Of Law And Defend The Constitution

Forbes Breaking News

At a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Wednesday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) spoke to AG Pam Bondi about her tenure as attorney general.

Transcript

00:00And at the moment, I recognize Senator Van Hollen for his opening statement.

00:04Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Welcome, Attorney General Bondi.

00:08The Department of Justice is supposed to play a vital role in defending our Constitution,

00:14upholding the rule of law, and keeping the American people safe.

00:18Unfortunately, it's currently failing on all these fronts.

00:22And this budget request will make a bad situation even worse.

00:26We are witnessing a level of lawlessness from this administration that is unprecedented in scale and scope.

00:34Indeed, when asked, President Trump said he didn't know whether he was required to comply with the Constitution of the United States.

00:42Instead of defending the rule of law, DOGA attorneys are being deployed to aid and abet in lawbreaking.

00:48Like just yesterday, Madam Attorney General, when the administration took, I believe,

00:52the unprecedented step of suing all the Maryland Federal District Court judges

00:58because of actions they took to protect habeas corpus and the constitutional right of due process.

01:06To date, the administration has faced nearly 300 legal challenges in federal courts.

01:11There are currently in place a huge number of preliminary injunctions and temporary restraining orders

01:16issued by judges appointed by presidents of both parties, including appointed by President Trump.

01:22At the same time, patriotic career civil servants have been fired for upholding their constitutional oaths.

01:30In January, the then-acting Attorney General fired more than a dozen prosecutors

01:34simply because they had been assigned to work with Special Counsel Jack Smith.

01:39And dozens of others have also been wrongfully terminated.

01:42And you picked up where the acting Attorney General left off when you fired the pardon attorney

01:48after she declined to restore the gun rights to a close friend of President Trump

01:52with a domestic violence conviction.

01:55Perhaps most troubling, Madam Attorney General, is you have fired attorneys

02:00like the acting Deputy Director of the Office of Immigration Litigation

02:05simply for telling the truth in court.

02:08As he said yesterday, the whistleblower, in a complaint filed, quote,

02:13I didn't sign up to lie.

02:16That sends a terrible message to every DOJ attorney who wants to both do their job

02:21and uphold their professional ethics and integrity.

02:24While spending taxpayer resources to defend this lawbreaking,

02:29the administration has proposed a budget that is a gift to our foreign adversaries,

02:33to the drug cartels, and to illegal firearms traffickers.

02:38Why do I say that?

02:39Let's look at each of those categories.

02:41On your first day, you disbanded the FBI Foreign Influence Task Force Office,

02:46which was established to combat secret malign influence campaigns by China, Russia,

02:51and other adversaries.

02:53On that day, you also restricted the scope of criminal charges

02:56under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

02:59Your budget cuts the Drug Enforcement Administration

03:02and eliminates funding for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces,

03:07which coordinate interagency efforts to combat the worst drug trafficking cartels.

03:13And you're effectively dismantling efforts to go after illegal gun traffickers

03:17by attempting to dissolve the ATF.

03:20At the same time, this budget undermines local law enforcement

03:24by stripping away funding that's critical to protecting our local schools

03:28and reducing violent crime in rural communities.

03:31And many organizations that help the victims of crimes

03:35are running out of their fiscal year 25 funds

03:38because, for example, the Office of Justice Programs

03:41has only posted one grant solicitation for 2025.

03:47Meanwhile, under the guise of efficiency,

03:49your budget proposes to combine and significantly cut

03:52the three distinct DOJ grant-making agencies,

03:56including the Office on Violence Against Women,

03:59which you propose to slash by 30%.

04:02There is nothing efficient about reducing services to victims of crime.

04:08Your budget also indicates that transparency and integrity

04:12are not priorities of the Justice Department.

04:15Over the last five months,

04:17you've decimated the public integrity section.

04:19Public reports indicate that this office

04:21went from 30 attorneys to as few as five.

04:25Your budget would also slash the department's oversight watchdog,

04:28the Office of Inspector General, by $42 million.

04:32Inspector General Horowitz told me that these cuts

04:35would result in the elimination of 140 positions,

04:38which would bring investigations to a halt

04:41and interfere with the IG's ability

04:43to conduct oversight of the department.

04:46I would note that it was an OIG investigation

04:48that helped uncover the FBI's serious mishandling

04:52of allegations of sexual abuse

04:53against former USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar.

04:59Why target these key areas of public integrity,

05:02oversight, and accountability?

05:04So, Attorney General Bondi,

05:06I hope you'll answer our questions today.

05:09I say that because your department has failed

05:12to respond to any of the nine inquiries I have made

05:15and have responded to only two of 38 letters

05:18sent by my colleagues,

05:20the ranking members of the Senate

05:21and House Judiciary Committees,

05:23Senator Durbin and Congressman Raskin.

05:25So, Madam Attorney General,

05:27we have much to discuss this morning.

05:29I look forward to your testimony.

05:30Thank you, Mr. President.

05:31Thank you, Mr. President.

05:32Thank you, Mr. President.

05:33Thank you, Mr. President.

05:34Thank you, Mr. President.

05:35Thank you, Mr. President.

05:36Thank you, Mr. President.

05:37Thank you, Mr. President.

05:38Thank you, Mr. President.

05:39Thank you, Mr. President.

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