Opening Statement

Pam Bondi

Nominee for Attorney General of the United States

Thank you, Chairman Grassley, Ranking Member Durbin, and Members of

the Senate Judiciary Committee. It is an honor to be nominated to serve as the 87th

Attorney General of the United States. I am grateful to President Trump for his

confidence and to this Committee for its consideration. To the Senators who made

the time to meet with me regarding my nomination, I appreciate your insight and

look forward to working with each of you to solve the important issues facing our

nation.

I would not be here without my family, which has taken over a large portion

of the gallery behind me. And today especially, I miss my father, whose example

continues to inspire me every day.

From the moment I began to work as an intern at the Hillsborough County

State Attorney’s Office, I knew I wanted to spend my life as a prosecutor. I spent

18 years handling countless prosecutions and jury trials, ranging from driving under

the influence to domestic violence and capital murder. Nothing has shaped my

career or vision of the law more than my experience as a prosecutor.

In 2011, I was elected Attorney General of Florida and proudly served for two

terms. In that role, my top priority was keeping Florida safe and standing up for

victims and their families. When my term began, Florida was overwhelmed by pill

mills and opioid deaths. I fought for tough legislation and worked to eliminate these

drug dealers from our state. We also protected human trafficking victims by raising

awareness, providing critical resources, and creating additional safe houses.

On the civil side, we worked to protect consumers. We tackled everything

from overreach by big tech companies to off-label prescription marketing. We

partnered with State Attorneys General from both parties and federal agencies across

administrations.

If confirmed as United States Attorney General, my overriding objective

would be to return the Department of Justice to its core mission of keeping

Americans safe and vigorously enforcing the law. That requires getting back to

basics—prosecuting violent crime and gang activity, stopping child predators and

drug traffickers, protecting our nation from terrorists and other foreign threats, and

Attorney General Confirmation Hearing Opening Statement — page 2

addressing the overwhelming crisis at the Border. The Department of Justice must

also return to defending the foundational rights of all Americans, including free

speech, free exercise of religion, and the right to bear arms. That is what the

American people expect and deserve from the Department. If confirmed, I will do

what it takes to make America safe again.

Making America safe again also requires reducing recidivism. We must fix

the Bureau of Prisons and follow through on the promise of the First Step Act by

building new halfway houses. The Bureau has suffered from years of

mismanagement, lack of funding, and low morale. Federal corrections officers serve

in challenging conditions on minimal pay and need more support. Our prison system

can and will do better.

President Trump’s leadership on criminal justice reform demonstrates what is

possible when a President is unafraid to do things that have been deemed “too

difficult” and to reach across the aisle to bring about real solutions. Like the

President, I believe we are on the “cusp of a New Golden age” where the Department

of Justice can and will do better.

Lastly, and most importantly, if confirmed, I will work to restore confidence

and integrity to the Department of Justice – and each of its components. Under my

watch, the partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice will end. America

must have one tier of justice for all.

In all this work, I would collaborate closely with this Committee and others

in Congress, my colleagues throughout the federal government, and our partners in

state and local law enforcement and around the world. I look forward to answering

your questions today and working together in the years ahead.

Attorney General Confirmation Hearing Opening Statement

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