In a recent Senate floor speech, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin expressed his concerns about Attorney General Pam Bondi's actions, which he believes undermine the Department of Justice's integrity. Durbin criticized Bondi for establishing a "Weaponization Working Group," tasked with investigating the activities of federal enforcement agencies over the past four years.
Durbin highlighted that these actions are part of a broader pattern within the Trump Administration, which has seen the removal of senior career civil servants from both the DOJ and FBI. This purge included key figures in counterterrorism and counterespionage efforts, emphasizing the need for an independent DOJ.
Following her confirmation, President Trump remarked on Bondi's impartiality by saying, “I know I’m supposed to say she’s going to be totally impartial with respect to Democrats… I’m not sure if there’s a possibility of totally.”
Durbin stated, “On day one in office, Attorney General Bondi created a so-called ‘Weaponization Working Group,’ a task force to investigate, ‘the activities of all departments and agencies exercising civil or criminal enforcement authority of the United States over the last four years.’ Bondi said that she would ‘investigate the investigators,’ and ‘prosecute the prosecutors,’ and now she’s doing exactly that to seek ‘retribution’ against his [Trump’s] political enemies—real and perceived.”
He further commented on his lack of surprise at Bondi's actions: “I wish I could say I am surprised by Attorney General Bondi’s actions, but last week, I stood in this very spot, sounding the same alarm just before her confirmation vote—the writing was on the wall. Attorney General Bondi has made it clear that her foremost loyalty is to one person—President Trump."
Durbin noted that over 22 days into Trump's administration, numerous senior law enforcement officials were purged from their roles at both DOJ and FBI. This included nonpartisan prosecutors involved in national security matters. He also mentioned an issued memo leading to dismissals due to perceived disloyalty towards implementing Trump's agenda.
“The Acting Attorney General had also issued a memo firing a dozen career DOJ prosecutors,” Durbin added.
Last Friday saw significant developments as thousands of FBI personnel names were handed over under temporary court protection. Additionally, probationary agents worldwide must justify their employment soon.
“These mass layoffs... represent an outright attack on public safety by President Trump,” Durbin asserted.
He warned about potential repercussions such as increased unemployment rates and local economic harm due to these federal job losses while accusing Trump of selectively supporting law enforcement when politically convenient.
Durbin concluded by urging bipartisan efforts against what he sees as attacks on national security institutions: “We need to work together on a bipartisan basis to push back against these attacks on the Department of Justice and FBI."
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