Trump's attorney general pick echoes claims prosecutions were political

• Bondi claimed prosecutors "targeted" Trump and his campaign dating back to 2016, adding that she will not "politicize" the DOJ or "target people simply because of their political affiliation."

Driving the news: Bondi vowed in her opening statement to "return the Department of Justice to its core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously prosecuting criminals."

• "America will have one tier of justice for all," she said.
• Trump, who was convicted of falsifying business records in New York, has repeatedly sought to cast his various criminal cases as political prosecution by Democrats.

Zoom in: Bondi said she "absolutely" has not discussed appointing a special counsel to investigate Biden, nor has she spoken with the president-elect about going after former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) or members of the House Jan. 6 select committee.

• "No one will be prosecuted, investigated because they are a political opponent," Bondi said. "That's what we've seen for the last four years in this administration."
• Trump has said members of the committee that investigated the Capitol riot should be jailed and has labeled Schiff an enemy "from within."

During a heated exchange with Schiff, Bondi would not say whether she would investigate Special Counsel Jack Smith, noting she'd need more than a "summary" to reach a decision and that it would be "irresponsible" to commit.

• She said what she's heard on "the news" is "horrible" but said she has not "looked at" whether Smith "committed a crime."
• Bondi shot back at Schiff when he asked whether there was a factual predicate to investigate Cheney, saying "we should be worried" about the "crime rate in California."
• Schiff also repeatedly pushed Bondi on Jan. 6 pardons, a day-one priority for Trump that Bondi said she would have "plenty of staff" to work.

Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats pressed Bondi about her loyalty to Trump during her Wednesday confirmation hearing, highlighting past rhetoric that bolstered his false claims about the 2020 election being stolen.

• "At issue I believe in this nomination hearing is not your competence nor your experience," Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the ranking member on the panel, said during the hearing. "At issue is your ability to say no."

Durbin pressed Bondi on if she has any doubts about the 2020 election, to which she replied, "President Biden is the President of the United States."

• Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) pressed Bondi on how she would handle potential White House interference at the Department of Justice. Bondi said she believes the DOJ "must be independent and must act independently."

Between the lines: Bondi is a longtime Trump ally who has been at his side at times of legal jeopardy, including as a member of his impeachment team in 2020.

Asked by Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) what she would do should Trump give an illegal or unethical order, Bondi said she "will never speak on a hypothetical, especially one saying that the president would do something illegal."

• She again did not answer the hypothetical question of whether she would bring in a special prosecutor if she received credible evidence of a criminal violation by a White House official, including the president.
• "What I do know is special prosecutors have been abused in the past on both sides," she said, adding, "I will look at each situation on a case-by-case basis and consult the appropriate career ethics officials within the department."

Zoom out: During questioning from Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Bondi repeatedly said she was not familiar with statements Trump had made, including his characterization of Jan. 6 defendants as "hostages" or "patriots."

• Asked earlier in the hearing about pardons for those who stormed the Capitol, she said she'd advise on a "case by case basis."

Catch up quick: Bondi, a veteran prosecutor and former Florida attorney general, was Trump's second pick for attorney general after his embattled first pick, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration.

• Bondi's hearing will be split across two days, picking up again Thursday at 10:15am ET.
• Bondi's hearing comes a day after Pete Hegseth's fireworks-filled appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee, where Democrats pressed him on his qualifications to be Defense secretary and the slate of allegations against him.

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Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout with additional information from the hearing.