Durbin presses Bondi on 2020 election during confirmation hearing

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., on Wednesday pressed former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on her views about the 2020 presidential election and whether President Joe Biden legitimately won that contest.

"I believe in this nomination hearing is not your competence, nor your experience," he said. "At issue is your ability to say no more than any other cabinet official, the Attorney General has to be prepared to put the Constitution first and even tell the President of the United States you're wrong."

"Are you prepared to say today, under oath, without reservation, that Donald Trump lost the presidential contest to Joe Biden in 2020?" he asked her.

Bondi responded that "President Biden is the President of the United States. He was duly sworn in, and he is the President of the United States. There was a peaceful transition of power." She did, however, assert that she witnessed questionable practices in Pennsylvania while advocating for the 2020 campaign, but that she accepted the results.

Durbin also inquired as to her position on possible pardons for Jan. 6 participants. Bondi indicated that pardons fell under the president's purview but that she would advise Trump on a "case by case basis."