The second round of confirmation hearings got underway Wednesday for six of President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees.
The nominees who testified Wednesday:
• Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), secretary of State
• Pam Bondi, attorney general
• John Ratcliffe, CIA
• Sean Duffy, Transportation
• Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget
• Chris Wright, Department of Energy
The confirmation hearing for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), who is Trump's pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, was postponed by two days over a delay pertaining to her FBI background check.
Protesters once again disrupted the proceedings, but there was less drama than surrounded Pete Hegseth’s hearing to lead the Defense Department a day earlier, as all of those testifying Wednesday are expected to be confirmed.
The highlights:
• Democrats pressed Bondi on whether the Trump administration would prosecute its political enemies.
Bondi made clear that she believes Trump was wrongly prosecuted by Democrats, but insisted she wouldn’t weaponize the government against dissenters.
“I will work to restore confidence and integrity to the Department of Justice – and each of its components,” she said. “Under my watch, the partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice will end. America must have one tier of justice for all.”
Bondi was asked specifically about Kash Patel, who is Trump’s pick to lead the FBI. Patel reportedly has an “enemies list," although Bondi denied that claim.
“There will never be an enemy’s list within the Department of Justice,” Bondi said.
“It would not be appropriate for a prosecutor to start with a name and look for a crime.”
Some Democrats took Bondi at her word.
“You’ve satisfied me this is not an agenda you have,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said.
Ratcliffe, who Trump picked to lead the CIA, echoed those sentiments in remarks to the Senate Intelligence Committee, saying he wouldn't fire anyone based on their political views.
"It's something that I would never do," Ratcliffe said.
• Bondi said she would evaluate pardons for those convicted of crimes pertaining to the Jan. 6, 2021 riots on a case-by-case basis
“Let me be very clear in speaking to you, I condemn any violence on a law enforcement officer in this country," she said.
• Bondi took the long route when asked by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) if Trump lost the 2020 election, walking a tightrope and avoiding saying outright something that could upset her likely future boss.
“President Biden is the president of the United States," she said. "He was duly sworn in, and he is the president of the United States. There was a peaceful transition of power. President Trump left office and was overwhelmingly elected in 2024.”
Bondi said she believes there was voter fraud in Pennsylvania, which Biden won in 2020.
“I saw firsthand when I went to Pennsylvania as an advocate for the campaign… I saw many things there. But do I accept the results? Of course, I do.”
Durbin responded: “I think that question deserved yes or no, and I think the length of your answer is an indication that you weren’t prepared to answer yes.”
• Rubio, who is expected to sail to confirmation to lead the State Department, sought to assure lawmakers that he and Trump believe the U.S. must maintain a strong alliance with NATO.
Rubio warned that the U.S. must be more aggressive in its posture and policy toward China.
"If we stay on the road we are on right now, in less than 10 years, virtually everything that matters to us in life will depend on whether China allows us to have it or not."
• Wright, who is Trump's pick to lead the Energy Department, told lawmakers he believes climate change is a "real issue."
Wright has in the past downplayed the significance of climate change.
He was pressed by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who noted that the wildfires in his home state were exacerbated by climate change.
Wright stood by his past remarks that “hype over wildfires is just hype to justify” bad policies.
• Vought, Trump’s pick to lead the OMB, said President Biden does not have the unilateral ability to cancel student loan debt.
“We believe that was not the right course of action, that the president did not have that authority, and I think an example of the Biden administration’s unwillingness to follow the law.”
The Biden administration canceled student loans for an additional 260,000 borrowers on Wednesday.
