"We are watching you": Senators say Trump uses cabinet officials to intimidate Republicans [View all]
Last edited Wed Jun 25, 2025, 07:55 PM - Edit history (1)
Alternet.org
June 25, 2025
The audience at one recent confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee featured some of President Donald Trump's most high-profile officials in the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Some Senate Democrats are now saying they were there for one specific reason.
Politico reported Wednesday that during a hearing for Emil Bove -- Trump's former personal attorney who has since [been] nominated for a coveted lifetime appointment as a federal circuit court judge -- Attorney General Pam Bondi was spotted in the audience, along with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche (another former top Trump lawyer).
The two top DOJ officials didn't speak in the hearing itself, but Democrats confided to Politico that their presence was a powerful statement on it's own, with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) arguing that they were there to "whip the Republicans into shape, to make sure that they toe the line."
"They were there to send a message to Republicans: We are watching you," Blumenthal said.
"They were there to watch members of this committee, the Republicans, whom they expect simply to fall into line."
More:
https://alternet.org/senators-trump-cabinet-republicans/