LIVE UPDATES: Bondi Addresses DOJ Independence, Rubio Highlights China Treat at Hearings

Sen. Marco Rubio and Pam Bondi—Trump’s pick for attorney general and energy secretary, respectively—will face questions from senators during their confirmation hearings today. Trump’s picks energy secretary, CIA director, OMB director, and transportation secretary will also appear before Senate panels.

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Rubio: The CCP Is America’s ‘Most Potent and Dangerous’ Adversary

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) characterized the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as “the most potent and dangerous, near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted.”

“They have elements that the Soviet Union never possessed,” the prospective incoming secretary of state said during a confirmation hearing Wednesday. “They are a technological adversary and competitor, an industrial competitor, an economic competitor, geopolitical competitor, a scientific competitor.”

Rubio added that the regime poses an “extraordinary challenge” in every realm and that it’s one that “will define the 21st century.”

The United States has allowed Beijing to militarize island chains in the South China Sea and conduct human rights abuses, including the targeting of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, he said.

“​​For years, no one talked about it, which, by the way, not just has a human rights component to it. It allows them to use slave labor to produce goods at the expense of the rest of the world,” Rubio said.

“We’ve allowed them to get away with things, and frankly, the Chinese did what any country in the world would do, given these opportunities—they took advantage of it. And so I think now we’re dealing with the ramifications of it.”

Rubio said, in less than 10 years, “virtually everything that matters to us in life will depend on whether China will allow us to have it or not.”

He said that includes everything from blood pressure medication to “what movies you get to watch, and everything in between.”

Bondi on FACE Act: ‘Law Should Be Applied Even-Handedly’

Pam Bondi’s outspoken pro-life position was brought into question during her attorney general nomination hearing by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (R-Minn.), who asked about the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

The FACE Act “protected patients, providers, and facilities that provide reproductive health services,” the senator said. “Will you commit to continuing to enforce the FACE Act to address violence and threats against those providing reproductive health care services?”

Bondi affirmed that she would uphold the law. The FACE Act prohibits interference with obtaining or providing abortions, and pro-life groups and individuals have been prosecuted for attempting to stop pregnant women from getting an abortion.

“Senator, the FACE Act not only protects abortion clinics, but it also protects pregnancy centers and people going for counseling,” Bondi said. “The law should be applied even-handedly.”

Rubio Outlines Views on Ukraine War

Discussing the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said that secretary of state nominee Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) had initially led efforts to send U.S. support to Ukraine, but noted his votes against the latest round of funding for Ukraine and against forgiving loans for Ukraine.

Rubio said his views of the war changed as it appeared the fighting had reached a stalemate. He said President Joe Biden’s administration had failed to articulate a clear end goal for the conflict, leading him to ask: “What exactly were we funding? What exactly were we putting money towards?”

Rubio said, on many occasions, the Biden administration’s answer “sounded like: ‘However much it takes for however long it takes.’”

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly called for negotiations to end the fighting. Rubio said such talks will require Russia, Ukraine, and the United States to be willing to make concessions.

While broadly supporting negotiations, Rubio expressed wariness at the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin will push to maximize Ukrainian neutrality while buying time for his forces to refit to resume the fighting at a later time.

“That’s not an outcome I think any of us would favor,” Rubio said.

Duffy Vows FAA Oversight, Calls Boeing Issue a ‘National Security Issue’

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) referenced the importance of Boeing’s recovery to the United States, as the company not only supplies planes for air travel, but is also a key national security and defense contractor with the federal government.

In Kansas, Spirit AeroSystems—a Boeing supplier—is one of the state’s largest private employers, Moran said. He asked Duffy what he would do at the Transportation Department to get Boeing “back in business.”

“Boeing is a national security issue,” Duffy said. “Boeing is the largest exporter of American product … they need tough love.”

He said he would work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ensure Boeing implements its safety plan, which the agency mandated last year.

“I [would] like to talk to the safety experts at the FAA to see where we’re at and where we need to go to make sure we continue to advance safe airplanes being built at Boeing and exported around the world,” Duffy said.

Bondi Says She Will Prosecute ‘Bad’ Prosecutors’

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) asked attorney general nominee Pam Bondi to elaborate on previous comments she made in support of prosecuting Justice Department prosecutors.

“You have said that Department of Justice prosecutors will be prosecuted in the Trump administration,” Whitehouse noted. “What Department of Justice prosecutors will be prosecuted, and why?”

Bondi said her comments, made on TV, were regarding “bad” prosecutors” and investigators who do not follow the rule of law. As an example, she cited former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith, who admitted to doctoring an email to help secure a FISA warrant to wiretap a Trump campaign aide.

“Will everyone be held to an equal, equal, fair system of justice if I am the next attorney general? Absolutely,” Bondi said. “And no one is above the law.”

Chris Wright Lays Out Vision for Energy Department

In his opening statement before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Wednesday, Chris Wright laid out a three-point plan to lead the U.S. Department of Energy.

On Jan. 15, Wright, the CEO of Denver-based oil and gas company Liberty Energy Inc., said if he is confirmed as the next secretary of energy, he will work as an “unabashed steward for all sources of affordable, reliable and secure American energy.”

Wright was nominated to lead the Department of Energy by President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 17. In his commentary before the Senate committee, Wright said he shares Trump’s passion for energy and will “work tirelessly to implement his bold agenda.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Wright said his Department of Energy will focus on restoring American energy dominance, leading the world in technological innovation, and removing what he called barriers to progress.

To his first point, Wright said previous administrations “viewed energy as a liability instead of the immense national asset that it is.”

Wright said that in order to compete on a global scale, the United States needs to expand its energy production capability. That includes commercial nuclear and liquified natural gas projects, he said, which will “cut the cost of energy for Americans.”

As for advancing technological progress, Wright said additional financial resources must be poured into the Department of Energy’s 17 national laboratories. This investment, he said, will “secure America’s competitive advantage and its security.”

Finally, Wright said the U.S. government must “remove barriers to progress.”

“President Trump is committed to lowering energy costs, and to do so, we must prioritize cutting red tape, enabling the private sector investments, and building the infrastructure we need to make energy more affordable,” Wright said.

Duffy Proposes Ways to Address EV Impacts on Highway Trust Fund

During Sen. Deb Fischer’s (R-Neb.) turn to question former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.), she noted that electric vehicle (EV) drivers do not pay into the Highway Trust Fund because they do not purchase gasoline and fuel taxes pay directly into the fund.

“It’s facing a shortfall,” Fischer said. “Do you think that EVs should be paying into the Highway Trust Fund? Would you work to figure out a way to make this feasible?”

Duffy responded, “Absolutely.”

The prospective secretary of transportation said, “They should pay for [the] use of our roads; how to do that, I think, is a little more challenging, but I’d love to work with you in the committee to make that happen.”

Fischer then asked Duffy how he would work in the long term to sustain the Highway Trust Fund revenues so the Department of Transportation (DOT) can continue the nation’s growth of commerce and “continue to have a road system that works.”

Duffy said there are three immediate options: first, the DOT could increase the gas tax, which he doesn’t support; second, the government could increase tolling; third, it could use a mile-driven formula for those who aren’t paying gasoline taxes.

“My concern with that, though, is the privacy around the American citizens. So I think that’s a conversation that will fall within the purview of this committee,” Duffy said.

“We could be far more efficient with our dollars. We could streamline the approach and get dollars into projects quicker.”

Duffy added that the Highway Trust Fund could be optimized long-term by “making sure there’s more available dollars, not for studies or consultants, but more for turning dirt.”

Bondi: There Will Be No ‘Enemies List’ at the Department of Justice

Pam Bondi took questions from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) about an “enemies list,” and declared there would be no such list if she is confirmed to lead the Department of Justice as U.S. attorney general.

She told the senator that she has never had an “enemies list” as a courtroom prosecutor or as Florida’s attorney general.

He asked if she would hire anybody with an enemies list, to which she responded that he was talking about Kash Patel, Trump’s choice to lead the FBI. She said she did not believe Patel had an enemies list and defended Patel’s record as a prosecutor and his work in the intelligence department and Department of Defense.

She said Patel is the right person for the job.

“I’m questioning you about whether you will enforce an enemy’s list that he announced publicly on television,” the senator asked.

“Oh, Senator, I’m sorry, there will never be an enemy’s list within the Department of Justice,” she said.

Bondi on Violent J6 Defendants: Condemns Violence but Will Look at All Cases

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) asked Pam Bondi if she believes violent January 6 defendants should be pardoned, highlighting that the prospective U.S. attorney general would advise the president on pardons.

Bondi told the ranking Democratic member that the ultimate decision falls on the president, and that she had not seen the case files on violent January 6 rioters. But she said she condemns any use of violence against a law enforcement officer, and if asked, she would look at each file and advise on a case-by-case basis.

Both President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance have said violent individuals should not be pardoned.

“I think it’s very simple,” Vance said on Jan. 12. “If you protested peacefully on Jan. 6 and you’ve had [Attorney General] Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned. If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned.”

Rubio Calls for Placing US Interests Before ‘Global Order’

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), in his opening remarks before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, described a trend since the end of the Cold War, in which the United States has moved away from advancing its own national interests to instead serve a “liberal world order.”

Rubio argued that this post-Cold War position has seen the United States take on trade, immigration, and national security policies that have harmed Americans. While the United States has prioritized supporting this global order above its own interests, Rubio said other nations have taken advantage of the moment to pursue their own interests.

“We welcomed the Chinese Communist Party into the global order, and they took advantage of all of its benefits, and they ignored all of its obligations and responsibilities,” he said.

Rubio said Trump’s election win has shown that the U.S. public wants “a strong America engaged in the world, but guided by a clear objective to promote peace abroad and security and prosperity here at home.”

Rubio Calls Out Communist China in Opening Remarks

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the prospective incoming secretary of state, highlighted the challenges the U.S.-led global order faces from the Chinese regime.

“We welcomed the Chinese Communist Party into the global order, and they took advantage of all of its benefits, and they ignored all of its obligations and responsibilities,” he said during his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

“Instead, they have repressed and lied and cheated and hacked and stolen their way into global superpower status, and they have done so at our expense and at the expense of the people of their own country in our very own hemisphere.”

Rubio said “rogue nations” have used the post-war global order against the United States, which now has to confront “the single greatest risk of geopolitical instability and of generational global crisis in the lifetime of anyone alive and in this room today.”

“We are once again called to create a free world out of the chaos,” he said. “And this will not be easy, and it will be impossible without a strong and a confident America that engages in the world, putting our core national interests, once again, above all else.”

Sean Duffy Vows to Prioritize Safety at Transportation Department

In his opening statement before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) vowed to prioritize safety if he is confirmed to lead the Department of Transportation.

Duffy referenced the thousands of Americans who die in roadway accidents every year and said the data “hits close to home” because his wife survived a head-on car crash that “profoundly reshaped her life.”

“If confirmed, I will prioritize road safety and assuring lives and families aren’t forever changed by preventable accidents,” Duffy said. “In aviation, safety will remain its top priority. America needs more air traffic controllers.”

Duffy said the Transportation Department needs the “best and the brightest air traffic controllers” and that he would work with the Federal Aviation Administration to “restore global confidence in Boeing and to ensure that our skies are safe.”

“Transportation is an extraordinary new era,” Duffy said. “We’re in a global race to out-innovate and out-compete the rest of the world.

If he is confirmed as transportation secretary, he said the department “will craft clear regulations which balance safety innovation and cutting-edge technology, but always focused on safety.”

Bondi Accepts 2020 Election Results but Notes Irregularities

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked attorney general nominee Pam Bondi if she was prepared to swear under oath that President Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to candidate Joe Biden.

“President Biden is the president of the United States,” Bondi replied. “He was duly sworn in, and he is the president of the United States. There was a peaceful transition of power. President Trump left office and was overwhelmingly elected in 2024.”

Durbin then pressed Bondi on whether she had any doubts that Biden won the election.

“Senator, all I can tell you as a prosecutor is from my firsthand experience,” she said. “And I accept the results. I accept, of course, that Joe Biden is president of the United States.

“But what I can tell you is what I saw firsthand when I went to Pennsylvania as an advocate for the [Trump] campaign.”

Bondi said she “saw many things” on the ground in Pennsylvania that caused her concern.

“No one from either side of the aisle should want there to be any issues with election integrity in our country,” the attorney said.

“We should all want our elections to be free and fair and the rules and the laws to be followed.”

Durbin responded that the length of her reply indicated that she wasn’t “prepared to answer yes.”

John Ratcliffe Considers China the Top Threat

John Ratcliffe, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for CIA director, said the United States is facing the “most challenging national security environment” in its history.

“The Chinese Communist Party remains committed to dominating the world economically, militarily, and technologically,” he said during his opening statement during his hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Ratcliffe also mentioned Iranian terrorist proxies, the danger of the United States being drawn into war with Russia because of the Ukraine conflict, and regional destabilization by North Korea.

Ratcliffe said that during his time as Director of National Intelligence during Trump’s first term, he directed extra resources to the threat from China, which he considers “far and away our top security threat.”

Risch, Shaheen Agree Rubio Is Qualified for Top Diplomat

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and ranking member Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) concurred in their opening statements that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is qualified to be secretary of state.

“President Trump made an excellent choice. We need a principled, action-oriented chief diplomat like Marco. I hope we can work across the aisle to confirm him on day one,” said Risch.

Shaheen said she believes Rubio has “the skills and [is] well qualified to serve as secretary of state.”

“But today, I want to find out a little more about what this administration is thinking about American foreign policy and the State Department in particular,” she said.

Bondi Vows to Work With Democrats

Rick Scott Introduces Rubio at Hearing

After introducing Pam Bondi, Trump’s attorney general nominee, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) also introduced Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be secretary of state.

He noted that Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants who fled communism and highlighted the senator’s work in holding communist regimes such as China to account for their abuses.

Rubio has been outspoken about socialism in Latin America, including in Cuba, whose U.S. designation as a state sponsor of terrorism was lifted by the Biden administration this week.

Bondi Introduced by Sen. Scott at Hearing

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to introduce Pam Bondi, who served as Florida’s attorney general when he was governor.

“Pam was an incredible partner, working to keep Florida safe and help hold the laws of our state, ensuring crime is aggressively pursued by law enforcement and prosecutors,” Scott said.

“President Trump has made clear that one of his top priorities is to reverse the rising rates of crime, and specifically violent crime, that have plagued our communities over the past four years.”

The senator emphasized that, under Bondi, the Department of Justice “will actually fairly enforce the laws” of the nation and protect the rights of the American people.

He also praised her work to fight the opioid epidemic and human trafficking. He highlighted that during her tenure as state attorney general from 2010 to 2018, the state had a 26 percent drop in overall crime, a 19.6 percent drop in violent crime, and a 27.4 percent in property crime.

“As U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi will assure law and order to the nation,” Scott said. “She’ll put Americans’ interests first, make the nation a better and safer place. I urge every single member of this committee to support my friend, Pam Bondi.”

Bondi to Stress ‘Getting Back to Basics’ in Opening Remarks

U.S. Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi is expected to pledge to steer the Justice Department back toward its essential mission of maintaining law and order in her opening remarks before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

A copy of Bondi’s remarks, reviewed by The Epoch Times, indicates that she will emphasize “getting back to basics,” with a focus on prosecuting violent criminals, child predators, drug traffickers, terrorists, and illegal immigrants.

“The Department of Justice must also return to defending the foundational rights of all Americans, including free speech, free exercise of religion, and the right to bear arms. That is what the American people expect and deserve from the Department. If confirmed, I will do what it takes to make America safe again,” Bondi will say.

She is also expected to promise to restore the department’s integrity and bring an end to “the partisan weaponization” that many have voiced concerns about.

Rubio to Defend ‘America First’ Foreign Policy in Opening Statement

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state nominee, will signal his commitment to Trump’s “America First” foreign policy outlook in his opening remarks at his confirmation hearing.

“Placing our core national interests above all else is not isolationism,” Rubio plans to tell the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, according to an opening statement obtained by The Associated Press.

“It is the commonsense realization that a foreign policy centered on our national interest is not some outdated relic.”

Rubio will cite Trump’s election win as a mandate that the American public wants a country that’s strong and engaged in world affairs “but guided by a clear objective, to promote peace abroad, and security and prosperity here at home.”

Trump’s nominee also plans to declare that the global order established following World War II is obsolete and “is now a weapon being used against us.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

What to Know About Pam Bondi

Pam Bondi is President-elect Donald Trump’s second choice to lead the Department of Justice after his first pick, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), withdrew from consideration.

Bondi will be the first Trump nominee to testify on Wednesday, appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Here’s what to know about the former Florida attorney general:

• Bondi, 59, was the first woman to serve as the attorney general of Florida from 2011 to 2019.
• Bondi is the current chair of the America First Policy Institute Center for Litigation and co-chair of the think tank’s Center for Law and Justice.
• A longtime Trump ally, she endorsed him during his 2016 presidential bid over Sen. Marco Rubio, another Florida Republican.
• Bondi served on Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial in 2020.
• She has also worked as a lobbyist for U.S. and foreign clients.
• Bondi accepted a $25,000 political donation from Trump’s foundation in 2013 while she was considering joining a fraud lawsuit against his Trump University company. Her later decision to forgo joining the suit prompted allegations of bribery, but a prosecutor found insufficient evidence to support those claims.

6 Senate Confirmation Hearings: What to Know

At 9:30 a.m., lawmakers will speak to Pam Bondi, Trump’s choice for U.S. attorney general and a replacement for his initial nominee, former Rep. Matt Gaetz. Both Democrat and Republican senators could ask Bondi about the so-called weaponization of the Department of Justice.

Sen. Marco Rubio will be in one of multiple hearings at 10 a.m. The secretary of state nominee’s hawkish stance on China and long tenure in Washington could make for a relatively smooth confirmation process. Democratic Whip Dick Durbin has already pledged to vote for the Senate Intelligence Committee veteran.

Also at 10 a.m., Trump’s selection for CIA director, John Ratcliffe, will appear for a nomination hearing. Like Rubio, he is one of the less controversial nominees. His concerns with Chinese espionage and his support for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) are among the topics that could come up.

Senators may grill Chris Wright, Trump’s prospective energy secretary, over his background in fracking and criticism of certain climate policies. While his hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m., Democrats and an independent on the committee slated to hold the hearing have sought to postpone it.

Sean Duffy is slated for another 10 a.m. hearing. Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Transportation could be questioned about the state of American road infrastructure as well as labor tensions involving the country’s longshoremen, a group the president-elect has courted.

At 1 p.m., members of the Senate will hear from Russ Vought, who is set to reprise his first-term role at the helm of the crucial, but little-known, Office of Management and Budget. Vought’s support for impoundment, which would give Congress less budgetary power, and his work on Project 2025 will likely come up.

A hearing for Department of Homeland Security secretary hopeful Kristi Noem was bumped from Wednesday’s schedule and will now take place on Jan. 17.

Epoch Times reporters Jackson Richman, T.J. Muscaro, Austin Alonzo, Samantha Flom, Jacob Burg, Ryan Morgan, Eva Fu, and Nathan Worcester and The Associated Press contributed to this report.