Columbia Standard

U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, alongside fellow Democrats from the Senate Judiciary Committee, has expressed strong disapproval of a recent decision by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The decision involves replacing a senior career official responsible for ethics matters with two political appointees who lack experience.

This move is seen as a significant shift from practices under previous administrations, both Democratic and Republican. It also contradicts commitments made by Attorney General Pam Bondi during her confirmation hearing. Concerns have been raised that this change could allow Bondi to participate in cases where she might otherwise face conflicts of interest.

In their letter to Attorney General Bondi and Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, the Senators wrote: “We write to strongly object to your alarming decision to grant decision-making authority regarding sensitive ethics and personnel issues—responsibilities long assigned to a senior career Department of Justice (DOJ) official—to two inexperienced political appointees."

The letter emphasizes the inconsistency between this directive and Bondi’s previous testimony before Congress. During her confirmation process, Bondi assured lawmakers that she would consult with career ethics officials on potential conflicts of interest stemming from her past lobbying activities for entities such as Qatar, Amazon, Uber, and GEO Group.

The Senators also highlighted concerns about Bondi's actions since taking office. They noted that she had signed a memo disbanding Task Force KleptoCapture and announced reductions in efforts related to foreign lobbying transparency and anti-bribery laws enforcement.

The correspondence concludes with requests for oversight documentation, including copies of delegation orders and related records.