Durbin Delivers Opening Statement On Oversight Of The Justice Department During Senate Judiciary Committee Executive Business Meeting
Durbin presses Grassley to convene a meeting with AG Bondi to discuss responding to the Committee’s oversight requests and to schedule oversight hearings with AG Bondi and FBI Director Patel as soon as possible
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement during today’s Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting where he outlined how Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi’s Justice Department is already stonewalling the Committee’s oversight efforts. Durbin also reiterated his calls for AG Bondi to provide to the Committee a memo she purportedly gave to the White House Counsel’s Office deeming President Trump’s attempted acquisition of a private jet as a gift from the royal family of Qatar “legally permissible,” despite its unconstitutionality and her clear conflict of interest with Qatar from past lobbying work.
During his remarks, Durbin also noted that by this time in the Biden Administration, Durbin, as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, had convened Judiciary Committee oversight hearings with the FBI and the Bureau of Prisons. He then held a Justice Department oversight hearing with Attorney General Garland a few months later.
Key Quotes:
“We are 115 days into the second Trump Administration, and Attorney General Bondi’s Department of Justice, I’m afraid, is resisting this Committee’s efforts at oversight. To date, I have sent 18 oversight requests to the Department of Justice, [and I have only] received two responses and they were cursory.”
“Contrast this with the Justice Department’s responsiveness to Chairman Grassley. By our count you have received responses to almost half of your letters, and the Department has provided thousands of pages of documents that you have requested.”
“During my four years as Chair of this Committee, I pressed the Biden Justice Department to respond to oversight requests from Democrats and Republicans alike. In June 2021, only five months into the Biden Administration, I convened a bipartisan meeting between Judiciary Committee members and Attorney General Merrick Garland to discuss the need to respond to Committee [members’] requests.”
“Why does this Committee’s oversight of the Justice Department matter? Let me take a moment to briefly discuss my latest request to Attorney General Bondi.”
“As President Trump confirmed a few days ago, his Administration is in talks with the State of Qatar to receive a private jet as a gift from the royal family. This aircraft would be retrofitted to act as Air Force One for the remainder of Trump’s term in office, and then ownership would be transferred to Trump personally and the Trump Presidential Library Foundation.”
“This gift clearly violates the Constitution and the laws enacted by Congress to govern such gifts. Yet, Attorney General Bondi reportedly produced a legal memorandum concluding that it would be ‘legally permissible’ for the President to accept this airplane from this foreign power.”
“This Committee and the American people need to see her legal rationale that purportedly permits this unprecedented gift. I have requested that memo be produced.”
“There are also grave concerns with Attorney General Bondi participating in any matter involving the State of Qatar, given that she was a registered foreign agent of that government who lobbied the Qatari government prior to her confirmation as Attorney General—there are obvious questions to be asked and answered.”
“During her confirmation process, Attorney General Bondi failed to list the State of Qatar as a conflict of interest. When I asked her about it, she refused to commit to recusing herself from matters involving this foreign power. She claimed she would ‘consult with the career ethics officials within the [Justice] Department and make the appropriate decision.’”
“However, Trump political appointees have conveniently removed the senior career ethics officials who would advise on such decisions—and put their duties in the hands of two inexperienced political appointees beholden to the Attorney General.”
“In light of these significant ethical concerns, I have also requested that Attorney General Bondi provide information related to any ethical consultation on her involvement in the Trump Administration’s consideration of this gift.”
“Let’s not forget that President Trump confirmed reports of this gift merely weeks after his family personally landed a deal for a Trump-branded luxury golf resort, where, in Qatar.”
“For years, Republicans have baselessly claimed that President Biden engaged in criminal wrongdoing. But Republicans continue to turn a blind eye to President Trump pocketing millions and millions of dollars at the expense of the American people, while testing the limits of the Constitution.”
“Mr. Chairman, I have two requests. First, let’s convene a meeting with Attorney General Bondi as soon as possible to discuss responding to our oversight requests, as I did with Attorney General Merrick Garland? Second, it is imperative that we hear from her as well and FBI Director Patel under oath. I hope that we can convene these oversight hearings as quickly as possible.”
Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.
-30-