Pam Bondi testifies earlier than Home Judiciary Committee : NPR

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Win McNamee/Getty Photos Lawyer Common Pam Bondi is testifying Wednesday on Capitol Hill, the place she's anticipated to face questions in regards to the Justice Division's focusing on of President Trump's political foes and its dealing with of the Epstein information.

Bondi's look earlier than the Home Judiciary Committee comes one 12 months into her tenure atop the Justice Division, a tumultuous interval marked by a hanging departure from the traditions and norms which have guided the division for many years.

Watch the listening to, set for 10 a.m. ET Wednesday, reside:

Since taking the helm, Bondi has overseen the firing of profession prosecutors and FBI officers who labored on Capitol riot instances or Trump investigations, investigated and prosecuted distinguished opponents of the president, and dropped prosecutions of his allies.

The modifications additionally lengthen to the division's workforce. The part that prosecutes public corruption has been gutted; the Civil Rights Division, which protects the constitutional rights of all Individuals, has seen a mass exodus of profession attorneys; and a few U.S. legal professional's places of work — together with most just lately the one in Minnesota — have been hit by resignations.

In her public appearances, Bondi, who's a former Florida legal professional normal, has defended the division's actions and sought to tout what she says are main accomplishments — going after cartels and violent crime and serving to within the administration's immigration enforcement.

She additionally says she's made "great progress" towards ending what she says was the division's weaponization in recent times towards Trump and conservatives. Biden-era DOJ officers deny they politicized the division, they usually level to the prosecutions of distinguished Democratic lawmakers and even President Joe Biden's son Hunter as proof.

Accusations of politicization at DOJ For many years, the Justice Division has loved a level of independence from the White Home, significantly in investigations and prosecutions, to insulate them from partisan politics.

Critics say that below Bondi, that independence has disappeared and the Justice Division has helped enact Trump's promised marketing campaign of retribution towards his perceived enemies.

Final 12 months, for instance, the president overtly directed Bondi to go after former FBI Director James Comey and New York Lawyer Common Letitia James — two high-profile political adversaries of the president.

"We will not delay any longer, it is killing our repute and credibility," Trump mentioned in a social media publish addressed to Bondi. "They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 instances!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!"

Days after that, a brand new performing U.S. legal professional hand-picked by Trump secured an indictment towards Comey, overruling profession prosecutors who had doubts in regards to the power of the proof.

Just a few weeks later, that very same prosecutor secured an indictment towards James.

Each instances have since been tossed by a federal choose, who discovered that the prosecutor was unlawfully appointed. The Justice Division is interesting that call.

Different perceived opponents of the president or people standing in the best way of his agenda have additionally discovered themselves below DOJ investigation, together with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and former Obama-era intelligence officers James Clapper and John Brennan.

Regardless of the uproar from DOJ veterans and plenty of authorized consultants, Bondi nonetheless enjoys Trump's assist — publicly, at the very least — in addition to the backing of Republican lawmakers.

She has confronted criticism from some Republicans, nonetheless, over her dealing with of the information of convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein. The criticism has been targeted on the division's failure to satisfy the deadline to launch all the Epstein information, as required by regulation, in addition to the heavy redactions to most of the paperwork.