Pam Bondi Sworn In As Attorney General, Vows To Get To Work Immediately

Newly appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi is set to begin her tenure at the Justice Department on Wednesday after taking her oath of office at the White House.

President Donald Trump was present in the Oval Office as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas administered the oath, officially swearing Bondi into her new role.

“I will restore integrity to the Justice Department and I will fight violent crime throughout this country and throughout this world and make America safe again,” Bondi declared.

To establish the direction of her leadership as the nation's chief law enforcement official, Bondi is expected to take immediate and decisive action to reassess and potentially overturn legal measures enacted by the Biden administration. Sources familiar with her plans, who spoke to CNN, indicated that her agenda includes significant policy shifts.

“Those actions will be a series of department-wide memos and orders,” an official noted, explaining that these directives are designed to shift the Justice Department's focus away from issues like January 6 pardons and FBI personnel changes, which have dominated recent headlines, CNN reported.

Insiders informed CNN that Bondi intends to retract several Biden-era memoranda, including a 2023 FBI field office memo that seemingly targeted “radical traditionalist” Catholics. Although swiftly withdrawn at the time, the memo, which then-Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned as “appalling,” was never formally rescinded.

Additionally, Bondi plans to overturn a 2021 memorandum from Garland addressing the “disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence” against school officials, according to sources.

She is also expected to initiate a comprehensive review of more than 1,500 criminal cases linked to the events of January 6.

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The Republican-controlled Senate confirmed Bondi in a late-night vote on Tuesday, following her nomination by Trump to the attorney general post.

The confirmation vote in the full Senate was 54-46.

Bondi, who previously served as Florida's attorney general, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee during her confirmation hearings last month.

“If confirmed, I will fight every day to restore confidence and integrity to the Department of Justice and each of its components,” Bondi asserted. “The partisanship, the weaponization, will be gone. America will have one tier of justice for all.”

Her testimony made waves when she clashed with Democratic senators, including California's Adam Schiff.

During the hearing, Schiff pressed Bondi to commit to opposing certain pardons Trump has proposed, particularly for individuals convicted of minor offenses related to the January 6 Capitol riot.

“Will it be your advice to the President: ‘No, Mr. President. I need to go over them on a case-by-case basis. Do not issue blanket pardons.’ Will that be your advice to the President?” Schiff questioned.

Bondi responded, “Senator, I have not looked at any of those files. If confirmed, I will look at the files for the pardons as well as the ongoing investigation.”

Schiff continued pressing, challenging Bondi on whether she could handle the volume of cases. “And will you be able to review hundreds of cases on day one?” he asked.

“I will look at every file I am asked to look at,” she affirmed. Schiff then suggested she would not have enough time to conduct thorough reviews, which led Bondi to remind him of his past controversies.

“You were censured by Congress, Senator, for comments just like this that are so reckless!” she shot back as Schiff attempted to speak over her.

Tensions escalated further when Schiff brought up an alleged investigation involving former Wyoming Republican and January 6 Committee co-chair Liz Cheney.

A GOP-led subcommittee has alleged that Cheney used encrypted messaging apps to secretly communicate with witness Cassidy Hutchinson, bypassing Hutchinson’s legal counsel. The subcommittee has called on the FBI to investigate whether any legal violations occurred.

Cheney has refuted the allegations, calling them politically motivated efforts to shield Trump. The FBI has not confirmed whether it will act on the panel’s recommendations.

Schiff inquired, “I’m asking you, sitting here today, whether you are aware of a factual predicate to investigate Liz Cheney.”

Bondi dismissed the question as hypothetical before shifting the discussion to crime statistics in California. “Senator, no one has asked me to investigate Liz Cheney. That is a hypothetical. The crime rate in California right now is through the roof. Your robberies are 87% higher than the national average. That’s what I want to be focused on, Senator, if I’m confirmed as Attorney General.”

If her previous statements are any indication, Bondi may play a pivotal role in pushing for the long-awaited release of Jeffrey Epstein’s client list. In a recent interview with Fox News, she voiced concerns about how the Justice Department has handled the matter, advocating for public disclosure.

Additionally, in September, Trump stated he would have “no problem” declassifying more official documents tied to Epstein, including the notorious “client list.”

Epstein’s list is rumored to include powerful figures whose exposure could shake the political landscape. In 2019, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, Epstein died under controversial circumstances in his jail cell.