Pam Bondi clashes with Dick Durbin in tense Senate hearing over Trump’s National Guard deployment to Illinois. Photo: X,
Pam Bondi Testimony: A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing turned tense on Tuesday as Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin and Attorney General Pam Bondi engaged in a heated exchange over the Trump administration’s decision to send National Guard troops to Illinois against the governor’s wishes.
Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday morning, facing questions on a range of controversial issues. Early in the hearing, tensions flared when Sen. Durbin pressed her for answers on the legal rationale behind the National Guard deployment.
Instead of addressing his questions directly, Bondi launched into a sharp personal attack. She raised her voice, refusing to answer Durbin’s queries about consultations with the White House prior to the deployment.
Durbin asked Bondi to clarify whether there had been any discussions with the administration before approval of the move. Bondi replied that she would not disclose her conversations with the White House.
Frustrated by her refusal to provide details, Durbin questioned the secrecy surrounding the decision.
“What’s the secret? Why do you want to keep this secret?” Durbin asked. “The American people don’t know the rationale behind the deployment of National Guard troops in my state.”
Bondi responded with a pointed remark.
“I wish you loved Chicago as much as you hate President Trump,” she told Durbin.
She went on to defend the administration’s action.
“Currently the National Guard are on the way to Chicago. If you’re not going to protect your citizens, President Trump will,” she added.
Durbin pushed back, saying he had merely asked a “simple question” about the legal basis for the deployment, which had instead “become grounds for a personal attack.”
During the same exchange, Bondi revealed that other senior officials were also heading to Chicago.
She said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel were “on the way to Chicago,” signaling a broader federal law enforcement push into the city.
Tuesday’s hearing came in the wake of the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey by a federal grand jury – a dramatic escalation in President Donald Trump’s efforts to prosecute his political opponents.
Bondi has also faced scrutiny over her handling of the Epstein files, including questions about the existence of a so-called “client list.” She was expected to be questioned on several other legal and national security matters, including the administration’s legal justification for drone strikes on suspected drug cartels and its push to use military force in U.S. cities.
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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