By Steve Neavling
Senate Democrats are quietly meeting to find new ways to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Trump Justice Department accountable, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions, Axios reports.
Frustrated by what they describe as stonewalling and defiance, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, including Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Adam Schiff of California, and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, met Tuesday to discuss how to strengthen congressional oversight.
Democrats say the Justice Department has repeatedly ignored requests for information, even under oath, and has refused to cooperate on investigations into politically charged cases. At a recent hearing, Bondi declined to answer senators’ questions about the department’s handling of cases involving former FBI Director James Comey and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Bondi has also brushed off questions about bribery allegations against Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, who called the reports “bullsh*t,” and the investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Some Democrats are looking to state-level models for inspiration. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently created a commission to monitor federal law enforcement actions in response to what he called “warrantless arrests” and the use of tear gas and rubber bullets on nonviolent protesters. His approach has caught the attention of lawmakers in Washington.
Schiff’s office declined to comment, and representatives for Whitehouse and Blumenthal could not be reached.
