Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., indicated he may vote to confirm President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general nominee even though he has questioned her commitment to keeping the Justice Department free from political interference, The Hill reported.
Coons told CNN on Thursday that he needs to review the transcript of Pam Bondi's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing before making a final decision. He said he wants to give Bondi "a fair shot" and noted that he has backed some of Trump's other nominees.
"The most important thing I was looking to hear from Bondi ... is whether or not she would be independent, whether or not she would protect the Department of Justice from direct interference by the White House or President-elect Trump," he said.
The senator said Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, failed to "answer that in the sort of clear, forceful, and direct way that I expected, adding that he "wasn't satisfied" with her response at the hearing and recalling that "she hedged and she hawed."
Coons praised some aspects of Bondi's record, including her efforts on criminal justice reform and her work combating opioids, fentanyl, and human trafficking.
"There are things that were positive about her record," he said. "So I do think this is a close call."
On CNN Wednesday, Coons said he was "a no right now" but intended to be fair by reviewing Bondi's remarks.
"I'm trying to give her a reasonable shot at earning my vote," he said.
Bondi faced tough questions from both sides of the aisle in Wednesday's hearing, particularly about whether she would push back if Trump sought investigations into political opponents. She did not commit to rejecting any requests to probe special counsel Jack Smith, who resigned from the Justice Department last week.
Republican senators on the committee criticized the scrutiny of Bondi's independence.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said, "The focus of these questions today are disturbing. I don't think my Democrat colleagues learned very much from the Nov. 5 election."
Bondi's hearing continued Thursday.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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