'Deeply Concerning To Me': Pam Bondi Questioned About Tim Walz' Anti-ICE Comments By Bill Hagerty

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At Wednesday's Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Chairman Warren and Ranking Member Van Hollen. Thanks for holding this hearing.

00:04Welcome, General Bondi. Thank you, Senator. Good to see you.

00:08I want to raise with you something that's been deeply concerning to me, General Bondi.

00:13The 2024 Democrat nominee for vice president actually called federal immigration agents

00:21Donald Trump's modern-day Gestapo. This is dangerous for our agents.

00:26It's wrong, and it cuts against and it undercuts the rule of law.

00:31So I want to ask you a series of questions, General Bondi, and if you would accommodate me,

00:35I would appreciate it. First, you'll agree when a bill is passed by Congress and signed by the

00:39president, it's law, right? Yes, Senator. And until that law is changed, changed by Congress,

00:46you have a duty to follow it, right? That's what the rule of law is. Yes, Senator.

00:51So let me read the law. We got it right here. On a warrant issued in this case by the Secretary

01:01of Homeland Security, an alien may be arrested and detained pending a decision on whether the

01:07alien is to be removed from the United States. That's the law, isn't it? The law on the books

01:12passed by Congress that you have to follow, correct? Yes, Senator.

01:15Senator. Isn't it also the law that once an alien is ordered removed, quote, during the removal

01:21period, the Secretary of Homeland Security, again, shall detain the alien? Is that the law?

01:27It's correct, Senator. It doesn't say illegal aliens ordered removed should be allowed to roam

01:32the country freely, does it? No, Senator. I know it doesn't. Here's another law. When an alien is ordered

01:39removed, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall remove the alien from the United States.

01:45Is there any ambiguity in these words? No, Senator. So ICE agents enforcing those laws aren't the

01:51Gestapo. They're supporting the rule of law, aren't they? Yes, Senator. Is it a crime to obstruct

01:56federal agents? Yes, Senator. There are left-wing radicals all over the country physically attacking

02:02ICE agents. There are sanctuary cities that are interfering with law enforcement. How does the

02:07Department of Justice plan to hold those seeking to harm and obstruct federal agents? How do you hold them

02:12accountable? Senator, I believe you've seen what we've been doing during the Los Angeles riots.

02:19We came in. If you spit on a law enforcement officer, no longer. We will charge you federally. If you loot

02:26a building, we will charge you with robbery under the Hobbs Act. All these people coming in looting these

02:32businesses. They just called it looting and let them run out the door. No longer. You touch a law

02:38enforcement officer. We will identify you. We have great technology now. And those people are the ones

02:44who have really been wearing the mask and trying to cover their identities. We've been finding them.

02:48We have been charging them with assault on a federal officer. And there will be no offers and no

02:53negotiations. Well, think about it. A federal facility, an ICE facility was under siege in Los Angeles.

02:59I mean, certainly you and the president weren't going to stand by, were you? Absolutely not.

03:03No, I appreciate that. I'm grateful to you and to President Trump for upholding the rule of law

03:07in this case. I want to finish by revisiting a conversation you and I had back during your

03:12nomination because I very much appreciated that. And it has to do with my home state and city of

03:18Memphis. Your commitment to come and see us in Memphis to deal with the fact that we've had rising

03:22crime. This is a problem across the country. But I'd like to ask your commitment again, General,

03:27to deploy law enforcement resources, particularly prosecutorial resources in Tennessee as they're

03:32needed. I know you deeply care about Tennessee and the crime in Memphis and throughout your state.

03:38And you have called me numerous times to talk about that. And you care about our U.S. attorneys

03:44there. And I welcome talking to both sides of the aisle, working with you on any matters regarding

03:50law enforcement. But yes, you care deeply about the citizens of your state as well as Senator Blackburn.

03:55And thank you both for caring so much and your input on our U.S. attorney there.

04:00Thank you, General Bondi. And I look forward to seeing you in my home state sometime very soon.

04:04Thank you, Senator. Senator Capito.

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