Pam Bondi (9:19)

Yes. Would you have hired someone into the Florida Attorney General's Office who you knew had an enemies list? Senator, to cut to the chase, you're clearly talking about Cash Patel. I don't believe he has an enemies list. He made a quote on TV which I have not heard. I saw your sign or Senator Durbin's sign about Cash. But I know that Cash Patel has had 60 jury trials as a public defender, as a prosecutor. He has great experience in the Intel Department, Department of Defense. I have known Cash and I believe that Cash is the right person at this time for this job.

Charlie Kirk (10:05)

Sheldon Whitehouse more interested in Cash Patel than in Pam Bondi. By the way, we found the letter documents reveal Senate Democrats pressured irs, Department of Justice to target conservative groups. The tax exempt status provides a substantial benefit to charitable organizations, organizations such as Turning Point usa. He urges the IRS to review whether it should be revoked. That is the type of maniac who Pam Bondi had to endure today. Blessed are the peacemakers. Peace has come to Middle east thanks to President Trump. There is a chance that President Trump has just threaded the needle in a historic way. Yes, please keep that up, guys. We won the youth vote in Michigan. We won the youth vote. We almost won at Wisconsin and we almost won it in Pennsylvania. But why is it that we want it in Michigan but not Wisconsin or Pennsylvania? It's because in Michigan there was a serious movement of young Arab men. We saw it firsthand. Not in Michigan, we saw it firsthand in downtown Atlanta. Was at Georgia State University and I'd say 20 or 30 young Arab Muslim men who are huge fans of the program. Huge fans of us on Instagram, on TikTok, came up to us. They don't like this radical feminism. They don't believe in any of the trans stuff. They're very pro life. The question they had, these young Arab Muslim men, as you can see how young men moved to the right, they said, what is President Trump gonna do about the war in Gaza? Is he going to end the war? And I, I disclosed to them I'm very pro Israel, but I want to see the killing to stop. Which of course, is a very reasonable thing to say. It's the most reasonable thing. And they said, we're all gonna vote for Trump. Our whole community is gonna vote for Trump. And they said, if they told me this, these young Arab Muslim men, they said, if President Trump delivers a peace deal, it will change the direction of how Arab Muslims view politics for a generation. They were telling me that amongst all of their friends and their family in Middle Eastern Arab Muslim communities in Michigan, in Pennsylvania, in Minnesota, they will be watching Trump very closely. And that if Trump does deliver this victory, if Trump does deliver a peace deal, that they will leave the Democrat Party in major numbers. According to CNN exit polls in Michigan, President Trump won the youth vote, R +3, a 27 point swing from 2020. In 2020, Biden won the youth vote by 24 points. In 2024, Trump won the youth vote by 3 points. Even amongst young, non Arab kids on campuses, I would be asked about the Gaza, Israel conflict all the time, Charlie, when is the killing going to stop? When is the war going to be over? I said, if you want a chance at a war to be over, put President Trump in charge and show 78. This is how young men moved. Young men did not want to be drafted to another foreign war. And young Arab men especially were giving Trump a shot. In 2018, young men favor the Democrat Party by 19 points. In 2020, by 15 points in 2022, by 1 point, young men now vote Republican by 13 points. By the way, that's the power of turning point action and the power of the social media canon that we have here. All this to say that the breaking news of the Gaza Israel Hamas peace deal could recalibrate and change politics for a generation, could change the way that young Arab Muslims view politics. And with it, we could turn Michigan into a solidly red state. We could win back Minnesota with this. Now, mind you, we should not pander. If you are in support of radical Islamic terrorism, I got nothing for you. If you're anti Israel, anti Semitic, we're not going to cut a deal with that. However, spending time with some of these young Arab Muslim men, they don't see the Israel issue nearly as sympathetic towards Israel as I do. But they don't hate Jews, a lot of them. They just have friends and family in the region and they want peace. And they know that Donald Trump will bring peace. And they were right. That Donald Trump will bring an end to the slaughter, an end to the killing. And they were right. Turns out Joe Biden and the American war machine brought to you by Kamala Harris and Leon Panetta, they're the ones that wanted to see this conflict continuing. And it's a pause in fighting, which is a phenomenal thing. It is a ceasefire now. A deeper peace agreement is going to come down the road. But it chose to show the command that President Trump has. And the Arabs who flipped to voting for Trump just learned something very quickly. More than any other politician in America, Trump keeps his promises. I want every Arab Muslim that is watching right now, and there's a lot of you young Arabs and especially young men that watch us on social media. I want you to listen carefully. Donald Trump kept his promise. It's one of his greatest traits. He believes in keeping his campaign promises. That's why he nominated Bobby Kennedy to Health and Human Services. It's so revealing that so many in Washington wanted Trump to just ignore his promises to Bobby Kennedy after the election. In Washington, they lie casually. President Trump is a man of his word. Email us freedom charliekirk.com Marco Rubio is back. Making America great again starts with Making America healthy again. Charlie Kirk here. I lost 40 pounds with the PhD weight loss and nutrition program and two years later I haven't gained a pound back. I I started the PhD weight loss program because I need to be healthy to keep up with my crazy schedule. Most people start a weight loss program to get healthier. So why is Big Pharma spending millions to convince you to use their weight loss injections that do just the opposite? They have harmful side effects and lifelong dependency. Take a natural approach that isn't connected to a Big pharma bottom line. PhD changes the way you think about food. 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Pam Bondi (16:57)

We don't find ourselves in a world in which we are dependent on China or any foreign power for that matter, for the raw materials that we need, for the ability to make medicine, for the ability to fuel our economy, the ability to feed ourselves or our people. We cannot be a country that becomes dependent on foreign powers. And so much of that involves not simply how we engage in the world, but also what we do here domestically. That is not the responsibility of Department of State, but it is important for us to point to that. Much of what's happened with China, much of what's happening now is what we are not doing, whether it's through our own industry and the development of our industries or access to raw minerals and raw resources that are critical to fueling and or building a modern economy. You talk about China playing by a different set of rules, and they do the ones that we think of as traditional rules, but the other. And I appreciate your comments to Senator Ricketts about China and even the definition of them as a developing nation. I think it's a big problem. They can't be allowed to continue to play openly with a different set of rules in addition to the hidden rules. I oppose China exploiting its status as a, quote, developing nation within international organizations. I think it helps them gain an additional unfair advantage in what you described as this unbalanced relationship. China is not in any way a developing country. You just mentioned they're a rich and powerful country. That's not a developing country. It's the second largest economy in the world, clearly has the financial resource, access to capital to meet its own needs. So I think we need to end China's preferential treatment and hold it accountable on the global stage. I mean, we see it in the World bank, we see it in other locations. Are there things that we can do and you can do as Secretary of State to try to eliminate this unfair advantage that they have? And it's an open unfair advantage. Yeah, absolutely. I think we need to. First of all, and I mentioned this in my opening statement, we have to acknowledge that many of the global institutions, institutions that were created not just in the post war era, but the post Cold War era, have been weaponized against this. And I can use a number of examples. The first is you think about the national the Security Council of the United nations, which was created ostensibly for two of the greatest drivers of instability in the world today, hold a veto vote at the Security Council. It's basically rendered the Security Council, almost irrelevant. By the same token, I would say I am not against multilateral organizations. Song as that or any foreign arrangement we have serves the national interest of the United States. I do not believe, and the president has made this abundantly clear, President Trump, that under no circumstances should any foreign entity or multilateral international organization have veto power over the national security interests of the United States of America. The second point that I would point to is that the Chinese have very aggressively played this. They have figured out, and it isn't hard to figure out, that even the smallest nation state has a vote at the United Nations General Assembly. And they have worked hard to not just court, but entrap a handful of votes around the world and including in our own hemisphere. If you look at the Caribbean basin in Grenada and places like that, where they go into these countries and they don't just provide a million dollars to a billion dollars to build the stadium, they also give you five or six million dollars under the table for your family and friends. They do that in place after place. We've seen that practice as well in Africa. So we need to understand that there has to be in many of these parts of the world, look, we're not bribing anybody. We're not going to do that. And it's certainly illegal for American companies to do it. But it's hard to engage these countries who many cases have legitimate needs. When they say, the Chinese, we prefer to have your stuff, we perhaps have American investment, but you're not offering any. And so we're left with the only alternative, and that is take the Chinese investment, even though it comes with strong strings attached that include things like debt diplomacy or debt traps and expectations of diplomatic cooperation at these international forums. My final question has to do. Because you used the phrase we need.

Charlie Kirk (20:46)

To be able to fuel our economy.

Pam Bondi (20:47)

And I'll talk a little bit about energy. Look, people who live in foreign developing nations, they want to be able to fuel their economy as well. They need a stable energy source to grow their economy, to improve lives. Many of the countries you've traveled to and I have, we've seen what energy poverty can do to. To people to make it harder for them. You know, we have an ability to help these countries develop a stable energy supply. But this current administration, the Biden administration, has put restrictions in place on funding of certain energy resources, such as coal, natural gas. The United States should be working to promote an all of the above energy strategy and help our friends and allies have affordable energy, as opposed to what is the politically correct type of energy to be used. So I believe we should be helping these countries with energy. And are you committed to ensuring the State Department is promoting all forms of energy projects across the globe, including oil, gas, coal, affordable energy that will help people raise their standards?

Charlie Kirk (21:41)

Yes.

Pam Bondi (21:42)

In fact, there should be a centerpiece, one of our centerpieces of our economic diplomacy. We talked earlier, I think it was Senator Coons had mentioned the work on fragile states and the hope of preventing fragility so that states don't collapse. And to some of the havens that you now see where terrorism takes foot and so takes a hold and so forth. And one of the things, one of the things you can do to help a country become more stable and then.

Charlie Kirk (22:04)

More prosperous is we have. Who's Cory Booker talking to? Let's go to the Cory Booker and go full screen and see what he's yammering about and we'll cut in and out. I think he's talking to Marco Rubio right now. The whole planet, we know in the days of infectious diseases, for example, an outbreak of an infectious disease anywhere is a threat to public health everywhere. More than that, we see the climate challenges, migration patterns there threaten to destabilize the Middle east and other areas. Egypt, for example, literally is hosting millions, millions of refugees in Egypt right now. Now, my frustrations in my 12 years here is that we as a nation have not really prioritized it. We do not have ambassadors in some countries where China and Russia who understand the African opportunities are investing heavily.

Pam Bondi (22:56)

I've gone around the world, and in my times in African countries, I often.

Charlie Kirk (23:01)

Encounter people that saying, hey, the Chinese are here.

Pam Bondi (23:04)

Where are you?

Charlie Kirk (23:05)

And it's not just ambassadorial placements. Other critical positions and embassies just aren't being filled. And therefore we're being outplayed by the Chinese and the Russians. African countries and leaders have told me time and time again, we prefer you, we'd rather deal with you, we'd rather work with you. And we can see by legal immigration patterns that their people would rather our way of life than the Chinese or the Russians. But we are simply being outplayed in ways that we can counter. If we had a real focus and a real strategy for engaging Africa and the impact of US Engagement is real. And the backbone of our diplomacy is that diplomat abroad, is that Secretary of.

Pam Bondi (23:48)

State on down people saying, this is a priority.

Charlie Kirk (23:52)

I said this to you in our.

Pam Bondi (23:53)

Office, and I want to make it.

Charlie Kirk (23:54)

Plain now that we are at a point in this country that what we do in the Senate and in the.

Pam Bondi (24:01)

White House and in the State Department.

Charlie Kirk (24:02)

Are planting seeds for the future. We can put a tremendous harvest in 10, 20 years.

Pam Bondi (24:07)

Prioritizing and emphasizing our work in Africa.

Charlie Kirk (24:10)

Not to do so undermines the three.

Pam Bondi (24:12)

Points that you said at the beginning.

Charlie Kirk (24:14)

That I agree our foreign policy should be guided by what makes us safe, strong and prosperous. And the future in so many ways is Africa. Could you just talk to me a little bit about how you are prioritizing it, how you understand the critical opportunities and the dangers of not engaging at a higher level than either the Biden.

Pam Bondi (24:33)

Administration, Trump administration, Clinton administration, Bush administration have done? Yeah. And I'll preface it by saying that obviously I'm not been confirmed yet. It's not in office yet. There will be a national security strategy that will be, that will frame much of what we do in foreign policy. So what I'm going to share with you basically here today is as someone who will be at that table, some of the impressions that I would share with regards to our historic involvement in Africa and also some of our challenges moving forward. So the first, and you've already highlighted all the things about the growth that's going to happen. They'll double in population inflation between now and 20, 20, 35 or what have you. So it's extraordinary. That isn't just an interesting number. That's what markets, those are also consumers. Those are also places that I think provide an extraordinary opportunity, properly positioned for America to become more prosperous, literally more people that can afford to buy the things Americans provide both in services and goods, and vice versa. So I think there's an extraordinary opportunity where I think some of our situation in Africa has fallen off, has been, it's been and rightfully so, heavily focused on counterterrorism and solely on counterterrorism in some places. And that's valuable and important. It is very difficult for a country to progress or move forward if they are in fact a haven, you know, for that that's open. And so, you know, the freaks come out at night and you've got the terrorist groups that are operating and undermining that country. So it's not that it's not important. I think we're also learning from the Sahel how quickly the situation changes. Despite significant counterterrorism contributions, each of those countries have pivoted to their great mistake, grave error, towards the Africa Corps led by Russia. These are not, these people are not any good at fighting counterterrorism and unreliable. And I think the moment will come when they'll realize that and maybe there will be a new opportunity to engage. On the flip side of it, if you look at littoral West Africa, there are real opportunities there for, and in fact, ongoing engagements, not just on counterterrorism, but on economic progress. I look in the north, to Morocco, another place where we have already seen substantial improvements because of the accords, but also because phase two of that relationship that continues to build. You also talk about one thing that I don't think has been talked about enough, and I think we hear the term as a 19th century term. The impact that malaria has is not simply a health crisis or humanitarian crisis. It has deep economic crisis, deep economic implications. It pulls kids out of school for long periods of time and not in their lives. It literally sets people and communities back. Leveraging private partnerships to deal with things like malaria pays extraordinary dividends if appropriately done and channeled. And that is something that I think could, as part of an overall approach to Africa, include, be included in things that you could argue are improving our prosperity, our security.

Charlie Kirk (27:16)

Thank you, Senator Rubin. You've affirmed a lot of this to.

Pam Bondi (27:18)

Me in, in our private talks.

Charlie Kirk (27:21)

I just want to make an emphasis publicly here that the disinformation in Africa. Now you've mentioned disinformation writ large. But, you know, for example, the Washington Post published an article in October detailing how Russian propagandists Targeted U.S. anti malaria programs in Burkina Faso. The Africa center for Strategic Studies report published in March 2024 highlighted how Russia.

Pam Bondi (27:42)

And China are leading sponsors of disability.

Charlie Kirk (27:45)

Information campaigns in Africa that are showing incredible success because we aren't doing a coordinated plant campaign to counter their misinformation. And so I'm looking forward to working with you. I hope that you'll prioritize this for the sake of America's future, that you could be the Secretary of State that says, we have a vision for Africa and we're backing it up, not just from the secretary's office, but all the way down to making sure key resources are invested in encountering disinformation, as well as making sure that we have personnel in there. It's not a popular post, as you know, for many State Department people. We've got to make it that way and let people know that they're helping to define the future of not just.

Pam Bondi (28:25)

The United States, but humanity by focusing on Africa.

Charlie Kirk (28:29)

I cannot let my time expire without talking about the biggest humanitarian crisis going.

Pam Bondi (28:34)

On on the planet Earth right now.

Charlie Kirk (28:37)

What is happening in Sudan, it's been called by our country a genocide.

Pam Bondi (28:43)

There's a famine being declared in areas.

Charlie Kirk (28:45)

Where you're seeing unbelievable levels of systemic sexual violence going on. I traveled to the Sudan border with Chad and saw humanitarian crises like I'd never seen before. And I've been around the world looking at humanitarian crises. We have a great special envoy who you've already positively name checked in this, in this confirmation hearing. It is so important and vital that that work continue and that we work for diplomatic solutions. There are a lot of our allies who've been implicated in fueling this crisis. This is an opportunity to end this crisis by diplomacy, to bring about one of the most important peace processes there are. And I'm hoping that you and incoming President Trump will prioritize that.

Pam Bondi (29:32)

Yeah. In an era in which the term genocide has been misappropriated, just almost a global slander, international slander, this is a real genocide. By its very definition. This is the real genocide. This is the ethnic targeting of specific groups for extermination, for elimination by groups, by the way, that are being funded by nations that we have alliances and partnerships with in other parts of the world. And we've. And we should express that clearly, I think, in part of our engagement with the uae. And it'll have to be a pragmatic engagement. I mean, they're important players in what we hope to resolve in the Middle East. And I think as part of that engagement, we also need to raise the fact that they are openly supporting an entity that is carrying out a genocide. And I think for those who are interested in going out and actually protesting a real genocide, this to be the one. And I just don't see it, I.

Charlie Kirk (30:21)

Don'T see it morally reprehensible that this crisis gets virtually no attention in our country, especially because of the role we should be playing. And my time is over. But I want to say this. We need to respond. But the other place on the planet that gets no attention, that we are responsible for in our hemisphere is a crisis in Haiti as well. I know that you know this intimately. And again, I just want to keep calling out these, these moral omissions of our country, often, at least in the press, of an inability to focus our compassion, empathy, and understanding of our. Our interwoven destinies with places like Africa and places like Haiti.

Pam Bondi (31:10)

Thank you, Senator. Thank you, Senator Booker, for that. Those are things that needed to be said. Having said that, you have underlined probably the most difficult crises we have on the planet. And I think everybody's ready to sign up on a path forward. So far, nobody's laid out that path forward. And you're right, we have an obligation to at least try to design a path forward. And when that happens, I have no doubt that we'll pull together, Republicans and Democrats as Americans to do something about this. But I'll tell you, the identifying who are the people there that are the good guys that you can partner with is very, very difficult, as you know. Thank you. Thank you, Senator Rubio, for your comments in that regard. We will move now to Senator Paul. Senator Rubio, congratulations on your nomination. One of the questions that I've asked over time to Secretaries of State as well as ambassadors and others from the State Department is can you name for instances where sanctions have changed behavior for the better? I'm not going to ask you that question now. I'm going to wait till you come back to ask you. There's a preview of what I'll ask you the next time. But the reason I bring that up is that I think, hopefully people think of sanctions as a way of trying to modulate behavior. You want better behavior out of a country. A country's doing something you don't like, you'd like them to change their behavior for better through sanctions. And I think it rarely works. And I think we pile more on now. Some would say, well, sanctions are just to punish them and we just want to, you know, Russia invaded Ukraine, we're just punishing them. And so as punishment, they kind of work. I don't, I don't think they're deterring a Russia's behavior or changing it. But really, sanctions can have effect in a couple of ways. I think the threat of a sanction, the same way the threat of a tariff can have an effect on behavior. But once placed, I think a sanction or tariff only has effect on someone's behavior if you remove it.

Charlie Kirk (33:11)

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Pam Bondi (34:13)

Dual use parts to Russia to use in the war against Ukraine. A noble goal. I share the goal. But they got to China and they shamed them in public and called them names and told them they're terrible people and they should quit doing it. I would argue that there's another way to try to get behavioral changes. I would argue that the opposite of sanctions is trade. And so we have a lot of sanctions on China. If I had been the one going to China with a mission, I would have said to China very quietly, we may not be able to undo everything, but perhaps we could undo one bit of sanctions that will enhance your economy by X amount if you will agree to quit selling dual use parts to Russia. And I think that's just a different look on things and I don't think we're getting it very often. I guess my hope is that you will think about a different way of doing business other than just saying let's sanction everybody and let's call people names we don't like because I don't think it helps. I think it actually makes the situation worse. That doesn't mean we curl up in a ball and just say do whatever you want. But there has to be some give and take. There has to be something we take back. And so I guess my general question to you would be we know a lot to stick. We know about sanctions and this and that. And do you see any possibility of any carrot with China to make relations better with China? Well, let me first say indeed I've been strongly worded in my views of China. Let me just point out they've said mean things about me too and I'm not sure that they're fans of mine in that regard. My role now as the Secretary of State is to lead the diplomatic wing of the repo of the, of the country and, and that will involve engaging them. The fact of the matter is in a mature and prudent country conversation and I would expect that they at the end of the day are also mature and prudent practitioners of foreign policy. They've got a billion people and nuclear weapons and a large economy. We have 400 million people, the largest economy in the world, a nuclear weapon. And it is in Their interest, our interest, and the interest of the world for two great powers to be able to communicate. In fact, despite everything I have said, I have consistently throughout my career said that it is that geopolitical balance between our countries that are imbalanced, developing imbalance that is the greatest risk to global security and prosperity because that could quickly trigger not just the trade and economic conflict, but an armed one, which could be catastrophic. Never in the history of mankind have two powers like the United States and China ever faced off in a global conflict. And the outcome would be catastrophic. And we should want to avoid it and so should they. So the bottom line is this. Yes, we are going to have to deal with China. They're too big and too important in the world, and they're going to have to deal, deal with us. And my goal is that it is dealt with in a way that furthers our national interest. What cannot continue to happen is that China continues to assume all of the benefits of the international system and none of its obligations, all the benefits of global trade and commerce and none of its obligations. Your point on sanctions are important. I think that one of the things that's happened over time is we have adopted this view that we're going to be involved in less armed conflicts, which I think is a positive, generally speaking. Right. Most would agree. The only other alternative left in the toolbox then is economic sanctions. And while I do think that there are. You can question whether it has an impact over the changing the behavior of a country, it can achieve two things. The first is it can deny a nation state the resources they could use to fund more of that activity. Let there be no.

Charlie Kirk (37:27)

We have live coverage. It's almost like a March Madness game where you got, you know, three or four games coming up at once. Senator Ted Cruz, I believe, is chairing the Transportation Committee. I don't know the exact name. I think it's transportation and security. Let's listen in on Senator Cruz and his new chairmanship and Mr. Duffy, who is going to replace Pete Buttigieg, by the way. This doesn't get enough coverage. The Transportation Department is very important. Looks like Senator Schmidt, who's now going to be asking a question of Mr. Duffy. Let's. Let's throw it there. Of kids, special needs. My Stephen's 20 now, but so reason I do this and the perspective, as you know, that you gained is life changing. And I'm very grateful.

Pam Bondi (38:14)

So thanks for sharing that.

Charlie Kirk (38:15)

Even though I didn't get to hear that public portion. We talked about it in my office. I wanted to start by saying my extend my congratulations to you and your family. You're going to do a great job. I thought our conversation in my office was great. We talked about a bunch of different things and I think the American people.

Pam Bondi (38:34)

Deserve new leadership in this position and.

Charlie Kirk (38:38)

Be focused on the right thing. So I just want to rifle through a couple of questions.

Pam Bondi (38:43)

One of the things I think in.

Charlie Kirk (38:44)

Refocusing the attention of the office and.

Pam Bondi (38:47)

One of the real challenges I think.

Charlie Kirk (38:49)

We'Ve dealt with the last four years is this obsession that the Biden administration has had with dei and Pete Buttigieg, for example, implemented this and was focused on this. And a month before the first national ground stop of the national air, of our national airspace since 9 11, he was busy renaming the air notice system to be more inclusive. I just think it's a such a priority problem that we've had the last four years. I really welcome your leadership. And so how do you intend to tackle that, to sort of like refocus the department on, you know, building big beautiful roads, as President Trump says? Right.

Pam Bondi (39:30)

I appreciate the question. And this is when we talk about safety, we're talking about getting on airplanes and flying through the airspace. So air traffic controllers and pilots and the mechanics and the machinists that build the planes, we want the hiring decisions to be based on merit. We want excellence. We want the best people in these jobs. Now we can have a conversation and should have a conversation about what communities are we drawing from? Are we accessing the right communities, saying, hey, there's great community, there's great opportunities at Boeing or one of the airlines or at air traffic control, accessing a lot of communities with the information about opportunities in these fields is something that I would commit to doing. But we can only hire the best and the brightest because everyone's safety is.

Charlie Kirk (40:21)

At stake on the line. And you know, I talked last time we met under the faa, there's a, the Office of Commercial Space Transportation, or ast, and it's responsible for licensing and regulating, regulating all the commercial space, the commercial rocket launch and reentry activities in the United States. It's a, it's a little known agency. The only reason, quite frankly, that I'm aware of it is because I was the ranking member of the Space and Science subcommittee the last two years and learned more than I ever thought I would ever learn coming into into the Senate about how important and how critical. So let me explain the profundity of what's happening here. Senator Schmidt is going back and forth in between committees, typically under the Mitch McConnell rules. You have one hearing and you're not allowed to ban bounce back and forth. But the new energy of people like Jim Banks, previously J.D. vance, of Eric Schmidt, of this new generation of senators that say, wait a second, I sit around and do nothing half the time in one of these committee hearings. Why don't we have two or three of those going on at once and I'll ask my question exit, go back to the next one and I can have a staffer sitting there taking notes, hearing what people are saying. This allows you to do concurrent nominations. It's very unappreciated. The young guns in the Senate demanded to fast track this whole process. Typically, it would be just one a day. So on Tuesday, you have Pete Hegseth, and on Wednesday you have Marco Rubio and. And then you end up in late March and you might have a Cabinet by Easter. No, no, we're not doing it that way anymore. We are now going to do simultaneous concurrent nominations. If we have to bounce around, that's fine. Ask your question. Go to the next committee. We are going to try to have the fullest cabinet possible for President Trump on day one. Far ahead of what we saw in 2017. Way, way, way, way ahead. This is a new philosophy in the US Senate. I love to see it.

Pam Bondi (42:27)

Congress, most recently the Foreign Service Families act, as you know, and we discussed yesterday, you know, the importance of supporting the men and women at the State Department, including the Foreign Service. And I appreciate your willingness to work with us in the caucus to continue to make sure that they have what they need to do their jobs effectively. We also discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine and the importance of supporting the Ukrainian people against Putin's aggression. And I just want to say for the record, I support and endorse everything that Senators Shaheen said on that score. So I don't have to go into great detail. I will say that we know what happens in Ukraine does not stay in Ukraine, and it's not just me saying that. That is what we've heard repeatedly from leaders in Japan, leaders in South Korea and other partners of ours in the Indo Pacific region. So I hope that we will continue to focus on that, because what we do know is that President Xi has one eye on what's happening in Ukraine and another eye on what's happening in Taiwan and measuring everybody's response, like you. And we've worked on a bipartisan basis to try to make sure that we meet the challenge of China. Lots of important pieces of legislation that have passed, but none yet. To really rise to meeting those challenges. I do support the Biden administration's ongoing efforts to restrict the flow of very high end technologies, the highest end ships to China that can be used in their military with our allies to do that. Just like the Trump administration back in the day worked on the Huawei issue. So my view is that we need to, to expand that effort. We also discussed the volatile situation in the Middle East. You know, we often talk about the importance of shifting our focus to China in the Indo Pacific, but we always seem to get dragged back into conflicts in the Middle East. I want to start with Syria. Good riddance to the murderous Assad regime. Obviously we have a stake in what comes next in Syria, given the fact it's a very volatile part of the world. I support the very cautious engagement of the Biden administration with hts, but we should acknowledge their very poisonous genealogy, beginning with Al Qaeda, morphine and Al Nusra. The other issue, of course, in Syria is that when you've got a situation like we see today, there are opportunities for ISIS to get further back on its feet, to provide it more oxygen. And as you know, the tip of the spear in our fight against ISIS has been our Syrian Kurdish partners, the sdf. But at this moment, President Erdogan of Turkey has been backing attacks of the so called Syrian national army, which Turkey largely controls, against our partners, the Syrian Kurds, which opens the door to a revival of isis. Because of the actions of the United States government, Turkey has so far paused that effort. Senator Graham and I have introduced legislation to impose sanctions on Turkey should they renew those attacks in a aggressive way. We talked about this. I know that you recognize the importance of that partnership with the Syrian Kurds. But just a very straightforward question. Do you agree that we should continue to support our partners, the sdf, in the fight against isis? Yeah, well, absolutely. Not only that, but I think we also need to recognize that there are implications to abandoning partners who have a great sacrifice and threat. Actually, the ISIS fighters, One of the reasons why we were able to dismantle isis, because they were willing to host them in jails, a great personal threat to them. And obviously that situation is very tenuous. I don't want to take up a lot of your time, but I do think it's important to respond to this opportunity in Syria, because it could be opportunity. I look, the new people that are in charge there are not going to pass an FBI background check. Okay? We recognize that these are not people we know all about. And their history, as you said, is not One that gives us comfort. That said, it is in the national interest of the United States, if possible, to have a Syria that's no longer a playground for isis, that respects religious minorities ranging from Alawis all the way to Christians, that protects the Kurds, and at the same time is not a vehicle through which Iran can spread, spread its terrorism to Hezbollah and destabilize Lebanon, not to mention what's happened in other parts. Not only is it in the national interest of the United States, it's in the national interest of virtually every nation state in the Middle East. To see that come about that is worth exploring. There is an interesting dynamic at play, and Senator paused a moment ago about the impact of sanctions. I would argue that the Caesar sanctions directly contributed to the downfall of the Assad regime. In many ways, we find ourselves in this interesting situation now where, because it, I think, is reauthorized as part of ndaa, we now have these sanctions in place against the government that no longer exists. But nonetheless, it's an opportunity for us to explore how we could use that tool, the removal of it and others, if in fact the territory is fertile for these outcomes. There are impediments to this that go beyond simply the new people in charge. And one of them, as you pointed out, is Erdogan and what his intentions are right now. There's a very tenuous ceasefire with regards to the Kurds. It's important for that to be maintained. I think it's important to signal to Erdogan early, including through this hearing, that he should. They. There should not be. They should not view a transition in power in the US as a window in which they could take advantage of, to sort of violate whatever agreements were in place. Right now. What we want in Syria is stability so that we can explore what opportunities exist to bring a different dynamic, because it would have an impact on Lebanon, on Israel, on the situation in Gaza and on the broader Middle east, and to walk away from an opportunity that may not come back. By the way, the Russians have been run out of there, the Iranians have been run out of there, but they are pragmatic foreign policy operators. If we don't explore these opportunities, they will work their way back in there at some point. And I agree with everything you just said and look forward to working with you on that. Let me turn to the Israeli Palestinian conflict, which we also discussed yesterday, and we all witnessed the horrific October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel. We've also witnessed the devastation and human rights catastrophe in Gaza.

Charlie Kirk (49:28)

Like you, I've met Israeli families who.

Pam Bondi (49:30)

Lost loved ones on October 7, I met with hostage families. I've also met with Palestinian families who lost kids and other innocents in this war. So I'm very pleased to see the announcement today of the ceasefire and the return of hostages. Let us pray that it holds and that it is implemented. But of course, as we discussed yesterday, the the question is what happens next? And we all agree that Hamas can have no role in the governance of Gaza or any other place. We also know that for all its flaws and faults, the Palestinian Authority has recognized Israel's right to exist for the last 30 years since the Oslo Accords. Their security forces are trained by U.S. forces. They today are fighting Palestinian militants in certain parts of the West Bank. But at the same time, their funds have been restricted by the Netanyahu government. Today, these are funds that belong to the pa. We've seen a record increase in the number of settlements in the West Bank. And so the PA is not able to deliver on what had been the hope of Oslo, which is self determination, security and dignity for both Israelis.

Charlie Kirk (50:46)

And will you commit to doing everything.

Pam Bondi (50:50)

You can to making sure the ATF.

Charlie Kirk (50:52)

Has its resources and the legal power to pursue illegal gun runners in our country?

Pam Bondi (51:00)

Senator, I will do everything in my power to prevent illegal gun runners in our country. When I left being a state prosecutor to run for Attorney General, I almost didn't run because I was working on a wire case involving illegal gun runners.

Charlie Kirk (51:17)

The DOJ, issued in 2022 a use.

Pam Bondi (51:20)

Of force policy for its federal law enforcement officers. It was approved by the heads of.

Charlie Kirk (51:25)

The DEA, FBI, U.S. marshals and ATF. And many of them said it is actually a use of force policy that actually protects law enforcement officers as well as protects others from having their rights violated. It was also endorsed by the Fraternal.

Pam Bondi (51:40)

Order of Police and Napo, the National association of Police Organizations.

Charlie Kirk (51:45)

This policy is considered best practices in law enforcement. Will you commit to continuing this policy? While we may have won this election, the fight to restore our great nation is only beginning. Now is the time to take a stand, and Patriot Mobile is leading the charge. As America's only Christian conservative wireless provider, Patriot Mobile offers a way to vote with your wallet without compromising on quality or convenience. Patriot Mobile isn't just about providing exceptional cell phone service. It's a call to action to defend our rights and freedoms. With Patriot Mobile, you'll get outstanding nationwide coverage because they operate on all three major networks. If you have a cell phone service today, you can get a cell phone service with Patriot Mobile with a coverage guarantee. But the difference is every dollar you spend supports the first and second Amendments sanctity of life, our veterans and first responders Switching is easy. Keep your number, keep your phone or upgrade. Their 100%. US based customer service team will help you find the perfect plan. Go to patriotmobile.com charlie or call 972-patriot and get a free month of service with promo code Charlie. Switch to Patriot Mobile today and defend freedom with every call and text you make. Visit patriotmobile.com charlie or call 972 Patriot. The 2021 DOJ policy on these issues.

Pam Bondi (52:56)

I'm familiar with the policy. I have not read it. I'm. I'm committed to reading it and studying it and reporting back to you on that policy. Once Again, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. Senator Hawley.

Charlie Kirk (53:07)

Thank you very much. Mr. Chairman. Ms. Bondi, welcome. Congratulations on your nomination. I'm so glad that you've been nominated as we discussed when we had the chance to meet.

Pam Bondi (53:16)

Thank you.

Charlie Kirk (53:16)

It was a pleasure to work with you as a state Attorney general for a number of years and I'm delighted to see you here today before the committee. I look forward to your confirmation. You will be confirmed. I too have taken note of the number of times you have been asked about weaponization of the Department of Justice as if it was a theoretical possibility that might happen in the future. One of my colleagues on the other side said weaponization may well occur under your tenure. We all know that weaponization has occurred like we've never seen before in American history under this administration. And I want to get even more specific. In the last four years, this administration has carried out an unprecedented attack and campaign against people of faith. If you look at the numbers, we've never seen anything like it before in American history. It has been one of the most disgraceful chapters in the history of the Justice Department and in the history of the FBI. And I hope that you will reverse this and do right by every American citizen, including especially people of faith. Let me give you some specifics. After the Dobbs case was decided by the Supreme Court, over 100 pregnancy care centers and over 300 churches in this country were attacked, vandalized, firebombed. Do you happen to know off the top of your head how many prosecutions Merrick Garland's Justice Department brought in those cases?

Pam Bondi (54:40)

I do not, Senator.

Charlie Kirk (54:41)

It's a stunning number, is 2. Hundreds of churches, hundreds of pregnancy care centers. And I might just add, these pregnancy care centers, the attacks on them, which were violent, which were gruesome were egged on and encouraged by rhetoric from members of Congress, including members of this body, who have said that pregnancy care centers aren't real medicine, that they're not real doctors. They have legitimized these attacks. And the same thing was true of churches. And this justice department couldn't lift a finger to defend these Americans, but at the same time, they used legislation, a law known as the FACE act, to prosecute at least 53 different pro life demonstrators, including people like Mark Hawk from Pennsylvania, to whom this Justice Department sent a SWAT team to his door in the early morning hours. He has, I think, seven children. In the early morning hours, an FBI SWAT team shows up at his door to take him into custody and prosecute him. By the way, he was acquitted. This kind of outrageous, disparate treatment has to end. So here's my question to you. Will you protect churches and pregnancy care centers when they are targeted for violence, when they are targeted for intimidation, when their members or parishioners are threatened with violence or other acts of illegal behavior?

Pam Bondi (56:02)

Yes, Senator.

Charlie Kirk (56:03)

Will you stop the disparate treatment of Americans on the basis of religious faith?

Pam Bondi (56:08)

Yes, Senator.

Charlie Kirk (56:09)

Will you stop the deliberate persecution of pro life Americans for nothing more than their pro life beliefs?

Pam Bondi (56:16)

Yes, Senator.

Charlie Kirk (56:17)

Will you ensure that nothing like the Mark Hauck case happens again, that Americans do not have SWAT teams arriving on their front doors with armed weapons to terrorize their children and their spouses? Only in the end, of course, to have the case lost because there was nothing to it, will you put an end to that kind of deliberate intimidation of the good American citizens on the basis of their religious beliefs?

Pam Bondi (56:41)

Yes, Senator.

Charlie Kirk (56:42)

I'm glad to hear you say that because we need it. We need it, Ms. Bondi. We need a new chapter at the Justice Department and we need it quickly. And I'm glad you're committed to it. Now, I also have heard you've been asked about your comment that you thought that in some cases we need to investigate the investigators, the ones who were bad. You know, I have to say I'm glad to hear you stand by that. We need to do that. You need to do that. And I'll give you another example. I'm sure you've read about this memo, which I now hold in my hands. This memo that was developed by the FBI Field Office in Richmond, Virginia, 23 January 2023, targeting Catholic people Parishes for spying for recruitment of infiltrators. I mean, the memo goes on and on and on about the FBI's plans to put assets into Catholic parishes into choirs. This is an unbelievable, unbelievable assault on America's First Amendment rights. And we only know of it because of a brave whistleblower who came forward and released it to us. And I will tell you, I have never been misled and lied to like I was by the current Attorney General and the now former FBI director when they sat right where you're sitting now and told this committee, oh, we don't know anything about it. Oh, only one field office was involved. It was the single work of a single field office and a very few individuals, as it turns out, that's not true. Multiple field offices were involved. Multiple individuals were involved. Under your leadership, will you put a stop to the use of FBI or Department of justice resources to try and recruit informants and spies into Christian churches or any church or house of worship in this country on the basis of nothing more than faith?

Pam Bondi (58:31)

Of course. Senator.

Charlie Kirk (58:33)

Let me just say this. To our knowledge, no one who is involved in the writing and performance, execution of this memo has been discipline or fired. Will you conduct an investigation like you talked about, Ms. Bondi, that will get to the bottom of abuses like this? And to be clear, this is an outrageous abuse. It is an outrageous abuse. One of the worst abuses of Department of Justice and FBI authority in our history. Will you conduct an investigation to find out who signed off on this, who approved it, who advocated for it within the Department of Justice? Will you open the books on these abuses so that the American people can have confidence in their doj?

Pam Bondi (59:17)

Senator, And I think what you're talking about is the ultimate weaponization, what we've been discussing all day. If I am confirmed as Attorney General, one of the first things I will do, there'll be many, but I will personally read that Memo and if Mr. Patel is confirmed, discuss it with him right away.

Charlie Kirk (59:34)

Fantastic. And will you work with this committee and our relevant subcommittees? I'm going to chair a subcommittee called the Crime and Terrorism Committee. We're going to do our own investigation into what happened here at the FBI and the doj? Will you work with us as you discover the nature of these abuses and as you put a stop to them? Will you work with us to make sure the American people get all the facts and this never happens again?

Pam Bondi (59:55)

Senator. Yes. I look forward to working with you and the Democrats. I would think this is something that we can all agree on on both sides, that this should not be happening in the United States of America and work together on it.

Charlie Kirk (60:08)

That's fantastic. Let me ask you one other question here in my Just few seconds that are remaining. This memo, this memo targeting Catholic parishes repeatedly refers to as a. As an expert source a group called the Southern Poverty Law Center. Now the Southern Poverty Law center has a long history as an anti religious group that has repeatedly gone after conservative and religious organizations, called them hate groups, called them sometimes terrorist groups. They're cited in this memo. They once infamously the SPLC called the Family Research Council a terrorist hate group and an armed gunman came into their lobby and opened fire. Will you put a stop to the use of the SPLC as an official source for any Department of Justice memorandum.

Pam Bondi (60:53)

Or finding that that will be one of the first things we will look at as well, Senator, and report back to you and the committee.

Charlie Kirk (61:00)

Thank you very much. Congratulations. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Is that Adam Schiff? As a Senator that ruined my day. I'm sorry, I just have to say it. That's disgusting. That should not be allowed on tv. That should be censored. It's disgusting.

Pam Bondi (61:15)

The President has said Jack Smith should go to jail. Will you investigate Jack Smith? Senator, I haven't seen the file, I haven't seen the investigation. I haven't looked at anything. It would be irresponsible of me to make a commitment regarding anything without. You're a long practicing attorney without looking at a file. So you would need a factual. You would need a factual predicate to open investigation of Jack Smith, is that right? Not a summary by you sitting here? Yes, sir. And not a summary by the President either, right? Absolutely. So a summary by the President or his desire to investigate Jack Smith would.

Charlie Kirk (61:57)

Not be enough for you sitting here today.

Pam Bondi (61:59)

Are you aware of any factual predicate to investigate Jack Smith sitting here today? Yes or no? Senator, I will look at the facts and the circumstances. You can't answer that question. You're not a part of the department yet. There's no worry about divulging law enforcement sensitive information. So just tell us, are you aware. Tell us, are you aware of a factual predicate to investigate Jack Smith? Yes or no? Senator, what I'm hearing on the news, are you aware of a. Do I know if you committed a crime? I have not. You seem reluctant to answer a simple question. Let me ask you a different simple question. The President also wants to jail Liz Cheney. Sitting here today, are you aware of any factual basis to investigate Liz Cheney? Yes or no? Senator? That's a hypothetical and I'm not going to answer. No, it's not a hypothetical. I'm asking you sitting here today whether you are aware of a Factual predicate to investigate Liz Cheney. Senator, no one, based on what you know, to investigate Liz Cheney, that is a president, has called for it publicly. You are aware of that, aren't you? No one has asked me to investigate. But the President has. Cheney, the President has called. You know what we should be worried about. Ms. Bondi, please answer my question right now. You are aware of the roof, Ms. Bondi, your robbery 7% higher than the national.

Charlie Kirk (63:14)

My question is this.

Pam Bondi (63:16)

That's what I want, Senator, do you.

Charlie Kirk (63:18)

Have the power to say no to the President?

Pam Bondi (63:21)

And what you're suggesting today by your non answer is you don't have the independence to say no to the President. So let me ask you a different question. Also requires you, if you're going to be a good Attorney general, to be able to tell hard truths to the President. So my questions now are can you tell hard truth to the President?

Charlie Kirk (63:38)

So let me start with an easy.

Pam Bondi (63:40)

Truth that you could speak to the President. Can you tell us, can you tell him that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election? Can you say that? Do you have the independence to say that? Do you have the gravitas, the stature, the intestinal fortitude to say Donald Trump, you lost the 2020 election? Can you tell us that here today? Senator, what I can tell you is I will never play politics. You're trying to engage me in a gotcha. I want to ask you with any ongoing power. So let me ask you another like you did leaving your colleague Devin Nunes memo. If you can't answer the question, let me ask you a different. What should be a simple truth, not a hard one. Was there massive fraud affecting the result of the 2020 election, yes or no? Senator, I'm glad you asked that question. If you'll let me answer what I saw in Pennsylvania. No, I asked a simple question about massive fraud. I can only tell you what I saw. I know you want to answer a different question, but my question is can you tell us whether there was massive fraud affecting the results of the 2020 election?

Charlie Kirk (64:43)

Yes or no?

Pam Bondi (64:44)

Was there or was there? Let me tell you what I saw when I went.

Charlie Kirk (64:47)

That's not my question.

Pam Bondi (64:48)

So you can't answer that question.

Charlie Kirk (64:50)

You can't speak that even easy truth to us, let alone to the President.

Pam Bondi (64:55)

So let me ask you a different question. It will also be important that you give good advice to the President. Are you prepared to advise the President.

Charlie Kirk (65:04)

Not to pardon people who beat police officers?

Pam Bondi (65:09)

Senator, as I said, the pardons are at the direction of the President. We will look and we will advise. I will look at every case on a case. Let me finish on a case by case basis. Okay, good. I applaud violence to police officers. Follow up with that. So will it be your advice to the President? Mr. President, I know you said you want to issue hundreds of pardons on day one. Will it be your advice the President? No, Mr. President.

Charlie Kirk (65:33)

I need to go over them on.

Pam Bondi (65:34)

A case by case basis.

Charlie Kirk (65:36)

Do not issue blanket pardons.

Pam Bondi (65:38)

Will that be your advice to the president, Senator? I have not looked at any of those files. If confirmed, I will look at the files.

Charlie Kirk (65:45)

And will you be able to do you'll be able to review hundreds of.

Pam Bondi (65:48)

Cases on day one? I will look at every file. I am. Of course you won't.

Charlie Kirk (65:53)

So will you advise the president?

Pam Bondi (65:55)

Can I answer the question? Well, my question. I would have plenty of staff. You said of course you want. You'll be able to review. I'm not going to mislead this body, nor you. All right, let me ask another question. You don't want to answer that.

Charlie Kirk (66:08)

Let me ask.

Pam Bondi (66:08)

You were censured by Congress.

Charlie Kirk (66:14)

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Pam Bondi (67:20)

Any ethical basis to destroy evidence in the January 6 investigation? Then why can't you answer the question? Why can't you say I commit to this committee?

Charlie Kirk (67:29)

We will never destroy the evidence in.

Pam Bondi (67:31)

The January 6th investigation. Why can't you give this committee in the American people that assurance? Are you frightened because evidence was destroyed against President Trump that was false? Is that why you frightened this is.

Charlie Kirk (67:42)

Why do you have difficulty answering that question?

Pam Bondi (67:44)

I can't believe. Why do you have difficulty promising to preserve evidence at the Department of Justice? Why is that a difficult question? I will follow the law. It shouldn't be a difficult question. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ms. Bundy, I know that you are pleased that we are to the end of round one, and we appreciate your being here. And I appreciate that you told my California colleagues you were willing to work with them, even in light of the manner in which they have approached you. Now, one thing I think we need to have everybody understand that is watching this hearing today and everyone sitting in here, what we have witnessed over the last four years with a weaponized doj. My colleagues have talked about this, and the American people know this. They know what was carried out against President Trump and his administration. And in November, they voted to see an end to two tiers of justice, two tiers of treatment, two tiers of access, because they have absolutely had it with the lies, with the accusations, and with the attacks that have come against so many people who were just seeking to live their lives, and then all of a sudden found the FBI or another federal agency or the DOJ knocking at their door. You know, Ms. Bondi, it would make you believe that my colleagues have learned nothing, nothing from the elections in November. They don't see this as a movie script that someone may have liked to write. What they see is this is real life, and they want a restoration to equal justice, equal access, equal treatment, abiding by the rule of law. Many of us have talked today about making America safe again. And in Tennessee, I hear a good bit about this. And as we've discussed your nomination, one of the things I've mentioned to people is your career as a prosecutor. And you have touched on that some today, and you are bringing that insight of being a prosecutor to bear. And I do appreciate that. Now, one thing that I think is noteworthy, and in preparation for the hearing, I looked some of these numbers up. During President Trump's first term, violent crime in this country actually failed. It failed by 17%. And in the first two years of the Biden administration, it soared by 43%. This is crime that is taking place in all of our communities. We've seen a rise. Whether it's California or Tennessee, we have seen a rise. So I want you to talk to Tennesseans, to Californians, to all Americans, about what you're going to do to get this crime rate down in this country. Senator, thank you for that question. And despite the questions from Senator Schiff, I look forward to working with you and the state of California to do everything we can to fight violent crime in California. And you know as well as I that crime is only going to go through the roof now after these forest fires. You're going to have looting, you're going to have price gouging. You're going to have so many things that I have dealt with in the state of Florida. And I am committed to working with California just as much as I am committed to working with you, Senator Kennedy, in the tragedy that just took place in Louisiana, given all the human beings that were murdered in your state. And we have the super bowl coming up in less than three weeks now, I believe, Senator, I've been a little busy, but we've got to ensure if I'm confirmed, that everyone in this country is safe. And I will work with you. I will work with you, Senator. I will work with all of you in this country for everything that Senator Blackburn said. We have got to reduce violent crime and we have got to restore integrity to our law enforcement officers. Donald Trump, we keep saying, amazing this election.

Charlie Kirk (72:53)

She's doing wonderfully. 10 out of 10. Pam Bondi.

Pam Bondi (72:55)

Of course we care about our economy and what's happening in this world, but if we're not safe, none of that works. We have got to come together, we have got to work together to make America safe again. And that in turn, will make America great again. And I don't know where that phrase has become a bad word, because I think that's a great one, making America great again. Let me move on with you to something else that's about law and order, and that is section 1507, because making certain that our justices are protected is important. And we also, with our judges. Section 1507 makes illegal any protest outside of a judge's residence if the intent is to influence the judge's decision making. And we have heard about the protest outside of Justices Homes where they were shouting loud and clear things like, and I'm quoting some of that. If you take away our choices, we will riot, end quote. Another one. No privacy for us, no peace for you. End quote. In other words, if the justices did not vote to uphold Roe and Casey, the protesters would continue to harass them despite this clear violation of the law. Merrick Garland did not bring a single charge, not one single charge under section 1507. Will you commit to faithfully enforcing section 1507 as Attorney General? I will faithfully enforce that law and all laws that I am asked to review and Senator, I watched that on TV and it horrified me. The protesters outside their houses. You can't do that for a reason. Because our justices have to remain safe and unbiased and protected from threats, as do we all. But they do enjoy a special protection and yes, that should be enforced. And thank you, Ms. Bondi. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We'll now have our second round that I announced earlier. We'll each have four minutes. When we were talking in my office, I brought up the importance of your listening to whistleblowers and about 30 or 35 investigations I've got underway of the executive executive branch and not just because of a Democrat president. Some of them are probably carryovers from Republican presidents. It's very important that the executive branch understand the cooperation that you must have with us to carry out our responsibilities to see that the President faithfully executes the laws. And I think that too often whistleblowers being patriotic people, they are wanting government to do what government's just supposed to do and find something wrong. They want to report it and they want to report it within the agency. They don't come to Congress unless they don't get any help in the executive branch. It seems to me that it's very important that you respect whistleblowers. But I've seen them treated like a skunk at a picnic by the agency they're in. I've seen them ruin themselves professionally, I see themselves. One time an FBI agent came to me was escorted out of headquarters with his gun and badge taken away from him just because the laboratory there was not using science to make sure that crime was actually committed. So now we have a new $40.

Charlie Kirk (76:50)

Million.

Pam Bondi (76:52)

Head or science lab so that people are protected and get their constitutional rights. So will you protect whistleblowers from retaliation and promote a culture? And I think that last thing, promote a culture is more important that values the important contribution of whistleblowers. Yes, and Senator, I think so. People fully understand the importance of whistleblowers. They have to be able to tell the truth and come forward without fear of retaliation. And that's the purpose of the whistleblower statute. When there's retaliation, the taxpayers money's paying for that retaliation. In most cases the Biden Justice Department issued guidance telling prosecutors to stop charging mandatory minimums and ignore laws setting penalties on drug type. It also allowed folks to pay civil and criminal fines. To politicize non government. To politicize non government organizations instead of the government treasury. I put together a list of their guidance. I find it very concerning and unfair to the taxpaying public. And I'd like to have you review those policies very soon.

Charlie Kirk (78:14)

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Pam Bondi (79:28)

That's pretty amazing achievement in his life. But he also has said and done some things which are impossible to understand and justify. For example, are you familiar with something called the QAnon conspiracy? I have heard of it, but I do not know what it is. But I've heard of it many times, Senator. So let me tell you what I've learned about it. Its core belief is that a cabal of satanic cannibalistic child molesters are embedded within our government and are conspiring against President elect Trump. They asked Mr. Patel about it and he said, quote, I agree with a lot that the movement says, end of quote. Does that sound like a good preparation to run the FBI, Senator? I don't know anything about. I actually, I had heard of QAnon, but I've never heard that definition attached to it at all. You're going to have to ask Mr. Patel about those statements. We will and I'll tell you until we get answers to those questions, I don't know many people on this side of the table give him an unequivocal endorsement. This in his enemies list, what he calls his government, gangsters. This is what you expect of Stasi? This is what you expect of secret police. It is not what you expect of justice in America as you've even described it at the table today. So I would say this unequivocal support of Mr. Patel should at least have some reservation until he explains some of these outrageous positions he has taken. I look forward to hearing his testimony about QAnon in front of the Scotch Committee. You will let me say another word about January 6th and what happened. We lived through it, many of us, we'll never forget it. To think that the United States of America's Capitol building was desecrated by an insurrectionist mob that came in and did horrible things, particularly to our police force that keeps you safe as you sit there and keeps us safe. Every single day, over a hundred of them were attacked by these demonstrators. One, Kenneth Bonowitz, a member of the so called Proud Boys, another alt right group, assaulted at least six officers, placed one in a chokehold and lifted him up in the neck. Bonowitz injured one officer so severely he had to retire. Kyle Fitzsimmons, convicted for five separate assaults against law enforcement, including one that caused a career enduring ending and life altering injury to U.S. capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gunnell. Can you understand why when Donald Trump says, the day I am inaugurated as President, I will issue a blanket pardon to these, quote, political prisoners, we view this with an outrage on our side. These men and women risk their lives for us every day and they almost died, some of them did die in the course of this attack. Why aren't we treating them as such? And why do you have to reserve judgment? Vice President Vance didn't, when he was asked this week he shouldn't, he said the pardon should not be extended to those who were guilty of violence against policemen. And Senator, I do not agree with violence against anyone, but especially police officers. And every, every time I've been walking through these halls, meeting with all of you, I. The men and women of the Capitol Police Department are incredible. They do a great job. They deserve to be safe. And I do not agree with violence against any police officer. I would hope I never have. Senator, you weren't able to answer my question affirmatively earlier, but I would hope that if this moves forward in a positive way on your nomination, you will speak up at some point on behalf of these police officers who are keeping you safe today and your family safe.

Charlie Kirk (83:22)

I yield. Okay.

Pam Bondi (83:24)

Before Senator Graham, I, I want to enter into the record, without objection from the members of this committee, letters from law Enforcement groups who support Ms. Bondi's nomination. These groups include the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Sheriff's association, the national association of Police Organizations. They praise her, quote, support for law enforcement, crime prevention and public safety. End of quote. Without objection. So ordered. Senator Graham. Thank you. Well, I've been gone for a while, so. They're asking you about Cash Patel. It must be going pretty well. You didn't miss anything, Senator. That's just an observation. So anyway, thanks to my colleagues on Democratic side, it's been a good hearing. And a couple things. Pardons. If somebody applies for a pardon, you'll give the President legal advice as to whether or not he should grant it. Is that the way the system works? Yes, Senator. Okay, so rather than prejudging what you would do, you would look at the application and give him your best advice. And you don't like people beat up cops. Correct. I hope no one does. Yeah. Okay.

Charlie Kirk (84:43)

Fair enough.

Pam Bondi (84:44)

So let's just get back to the process. I'm not going to speak for the President, but the President does not like people that abuse police. Police officers, either. Yeah, well, the hope is that through this pardon process, you'll make a rational decision based on the applicant rather than deciding the outcome in a Senate hearing. That's all I'm asking. That's what I would want. If I, you know, I. I represented somebody, I'd want at least be heard. Now, section 230, are you familiar with it? Yes. Senator. One thing that unites this committee is protecting children and society at large from social media abuse. We passed online privacy legislation. Senator Durbin's been great to work with everybody. Klobuchar. We're all trying to find out how to empower people who may be victims of social media to empower a parent whose child's been bullied. When you call the social media platform and they blow you off, you go to court and they kick you out of court because of section 230, sexual exploitation of children on the Internet. We've heard stories that make us just break our hearts. We're united of trying to give people a say. If they take your content down, you're appealing to the people who made the decision to take your content down. So what I want to do along Senator Hawley, everybody, is repeal section 230 or replace it with a system that empowers consumers who may be. May have been hurt. Do you agree with that, Senator? I would love to look at that with you. I'm not familiar with what you want to do on the issue. I've talked to Senator Klobuchar. I think Senator Durbin and I may have even discussed it. But I'm committed to looking at that with you. There are so many issues online that that's one of the things we have to find things that can bring us together now. And this has to be one of them. Well, just in our children. Here's what FBI director said, Ray, where you agree with him, not I agree with this. I see blinking lights everywhere turn regarding the national security threats. Does that make sense to you? Yes, Senator. I was, I was looking at that. The date of that. That was a year ago. Yes, Senator. I also heard about, I haven't seen it yet. His 60 Minutes interview. That was very troubling to me for our country. Right. We know we found eight guys from Tajikistan that were released, caught again because we were tied to ISIS. So the point I'm trying to make is January 20th, we own this. I just urge you to the extent you can to urge the president to secure that border. We need money. Idea of moving money around from defense is not going to cut it. We need a lot of money for bed space to finish the wall. Do technology hire ICE agents to accelerate deportation of people who are criminals and gang members. We don't have time to waste. I hope you'll make that an urgency because the threat is real. Are you worried about an attack on our homeland being generated from ice, it, ISIS or their affiliates? And what should we do about it, Senator, I don't have a security clearance yet, but only from the public reporting that I've seen. I'm terrified. Senator Whitehouse. Thank you, Chairman. I'm going to try to fit in two questions in my four minutes. Lindsey, stick around because I'm going to say something nice about you first. Yes to 2:30. We've got to really work on that. There's a lot of support for fixing 230, in fact, outright repealing.230 in this committee. First question. Presumably your commitment to fairly enforcing the law based on facts and evidence would also apply to environmental cases. Yes, Senator. I'm concerned because, you know, under Trump, criminal prosecutions for pollution dropped short sharply in his first term. And you will be running an environment Natural Resources division that has things like for instance, a methane task force that big polluters who spent big money to get President Trump reelected don't like. And they're going to be coming to you to say, hey, we don't want a whole lot of enforcement on this. Methane leaks, carbon dioxide Leaks. It's a pollutant. Polluting our water, polluting our air.

Charlie Kirk (89:28)

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Pam Bondi (90:30)

There was a committee investigation into Crossfire Hurricane. During that Crossfire Hurricane investigation, boxloads of material was provided by the Department and the Bureau to Senate Republicans. They got files, they got investigative reports. They got internal memos. They got stuff that would not be FOIA able. They really were able to do a deep dive because they got everything they asked for, even stuff that the FBI would ordinarily not produce. That was happening on that side of the aisle for me. I had questions about Justice Kavanaugh's supplemental background investigation. And I asked for things like, what is the Department of Justice policy for how tip lines work? That's a FOIA Able question.

Charlie Kirk (91:26)

I didn't get a single piece of paper.

Pam Bondi (91:29)

I asked for things like, what are the ground rules for investigations of supplemental background investigations. I didn't get a single piece of paper. Senator Graham called the deputy attorney general up into his office to say, will you guys please knock it off and give this guy some information? So, you know, I have lived the example of if you're a Republican on this committee, in a Republican administration, you get everything you ask for and more. And if you're a Democrat, you get. That was not a great moment for me and not a great moment for the department. And so I will take the chairman at his word that he wants the department to be responsive to requests from all of us. And I would ask you, will you be responsive to all of us, irrespective of our party affiliation, if we are asking legitimate questions that you have the power to answer? Senator, I think I've said that from, from the beginning. Yes. Especially on Freedom of Information Act. I will follow the laws that apply to the Freedom of Information Act. I, I believe in that. I actually dealt with public, public records when I was a state prosecutor. It's been so long ago, I'd forgotten about that. Yeah. So I just did all the public one. Just sort of point of order here, the foia, the Freedom of Information act process is one thing. Anybody can get information under the Freedom of Information act process. As senators, we should be able to do better than that. When we're doing worse than that, that's a sign that somebody's hiding something. When we're doing better than that, that's a good thing for congressional oversight. Thank you, Chairman. Thank you, Senator. Tell us, can we take a minute off Senator Schiff, since. I'm joking. Since he took an extra minute. I'm joking. Yes, you can. You wanted to say something to Senator Shift? No, sir. I asked if we could take a minute off Senator Schiff since Senator Whitehouse went over by a minute. I was teasing. Okay. Senator tillis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ms. Bondi, I wanted to come back and I'm glad I did because I got another mark on my bingo card. QAnon came up. It's a little known fact, but the so called. I think I heard someone say that.

Charlie Kirk (93:45)

Let's zoom a little on Senator Rubio who's receiving a question from. I can't see who he's getting a question from there. I think it's a Democrat just based on the camera angle. So let's listen on some of your.

Pam Bondi (94:00)

Work supporting Taiwan and protecting Hong Kong dissidents as we work together on some legislation. Now, in a twist of events, I sit not far from where you once sat and there's another symbolic feat 600ft between us between the State Department and the Senate. And I'm excited to work with you in your new role and I would like to continue to be wind at your back on a lot of issues and none more important to me than China. And if you remember really nothing else about our short interchange today, please know that that's very important to me and I hope to work with you on when I view the aggression of China and in many ways their global push for military and economic supremacy I think is a threat in many ways, China is imposing. It's what they call China one principle on the world which is very different.

Charlie Kirk (94:55)

Than Senator Curtis from Utah policy.

Pam Bondi (94:58)

Can you kind of describe how we can push back on that and how we need to make sure we're shaping that conversation? Yeah. And. Well, the first is to understand that the one China policy is, and the US Policy towards the issue of Taiwan has been consistent and reaffirmed by every administration since 1979. It is the combination of the Taiwan Relations act with the six assurances that make clear the United States we're not going to pressure Taiwan in any arrangement. We're not going to tell you when we're going to stop or if ever. We make no commitment to not helping them in their national defense. We're not going to force any outcomes. And frankly, we are going to do everything. And we reject any effort to coerce, intimidate and or forcibly drive Taiwan to do whatever China wants them to do. And that's been our position. That will continue. That was the position under President Trump's first administration. I anticipate it will continue to be in the second administration. I think within that context, it's important for us to find every opportunity possible to allow Taiwan to engage in international forums where important issues are discussed and they're not represented. Irrespective of what China claims about One China presence principle, they're not represented. And so the view there need to be. Need to be made. They need to have an opportunity in these forums to be made clear. But I think stability is critically important. Here's the one thing I would point to here with regards to stability. If the Chinese are in fact serious about stabilizing US China relations and finding avenues of which we can be cooperated and avoid conflict, then they will not do anything rash or irrational when it comes to Taiwan or the Philippines for that matter. The actions they are taking now are deeply destabilizing. They are forcing us to take counteractions because we have commitments to the Philippines and we have commitments to Taiwan that we intend to keep. And so if they want to destabilize the relationship or they want to help, at least create some pathway for stabilization of our relationship with them, even as we remain engaged in global competition and in some cases, more adversarial than others, they really need to stop messing around with Taiwan and with the Philippines because it's. It's forcing us to focus our attention in ways we prefer not to happen. As a matter of interest, I actually lived in Taiwan in August of 1979. Three months after that act that you referred to. And, and I think you're very accurate. I, I think for a minute about Europe. And there's some countries, it feels like in, in Europe because of their presence Pol, Poland, Czech Republic and Baltics that are more in tune with this issue. But as a whole, it feels like some European nations are in denial of.

Charlie Kirk (97:32)

Some of the things you've just said.

Pam Bondi (97:34)

You talk a little bit about how we work with our NATO friends over there and how we get them to appreciate this and actually play a part in this. Well, I think in the case of NATO, I think I would expand it to really talk about the European Union and the eu, which I think is increasingly every single day coming to the river. Realization of the threat that China's capitalist policies and unfair trade policies.

Charlie Kirk (97:55)

What an amazing series of hearings. And President Trump's nominees just did a phenomenal job enduring some complete nonsense from the Democrats. As you can start to see. The team that will be running your government is assembled. Secretary of State yesterday, Department of Defense. We have great. Energy Secretary. Drill, baby, drill. We are putting the team together across the board in a very powerful and significant way. An underappreciated fact of all this is how the Senate is doing. Concurrent simultaneous nominations. President Trump is going to have a staffed full cabinet right out of the gate. They are working for Trump. The Senate is and they are ready to rock and they're ready to roll. By the way, how impressive was Pam Bondi today? There is just so much more alignment now. The party is ready to go. Eight years ago they were at war with President Donald Trump. Now everyone is in lockstep to fulfill his agenda. Thanks so much for listening, everybody. Email us. As always, freedomarliekirk.com thanks so much for listening and God bless.

Pam Bondi (98:58)

For more on many of these stories and news you can Trust, go to charliekirk.com.