On Tuesday, Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) unleashed a passionate critique of his Democratic colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee, challenging their assertions that Attorney General Pam Bondi has been weaponizing the Department of Justice.
Bondi testified before the Senate Committee following a grand jury indictment of former FBI Director James Comey and the contentious deployment of federal agents and National Guard troops nationwide by President Trump.
While the Democrats leveraged the hearing as a platform to assail Bondi and the Trump Administration for allegedly targeting political adversaries, Hawley seized the moment to expose what he characterized as the genuine weaponization of justice under the Biden administration, accusing Democrats of gaslighting the American populace.
As reported by The Gateway Pundit, under Joe Biden’s direction, the FBI—and subsequently Jack Smith—monitored the private communications of eight Republican Senators during the so-called ‘Arctic Frost’ investigation into January 6. This surveillance formed part of a broader pattern of targeting that included President Trump, Catholic citizens, concerned parents at school board meetings, and right-wing organizations like Turning Point USA.
Additionally, members of Congress and private individuals became subjects of Biden’s Quiet Skies program, which utilized air marshals to shadow travelers identified as suspicious in open FBI terrorism inquiries. Ironically, this initiative was purportedly aimed at preventing terrorist acts but failed to achieve its primary objective.
In a striking revelation, freshman Representative Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) disclosed that he was also on the receiving end of surveillance as a candidate for Arizona Attorney General simply for vocalizing concerns over alleged electoral fraud in his midterm elections.
In a fiery retort, Hawley rebuffed Democratic claims that Biden never targeted political rivals, noting, “That’s an interesting assertion, considering we learned just yesterday that the FBI had tapped my phone…along with Lindsey Graham’s and Marsha Blackburn’s.” He pointed to the clear evidence of targeting political adversaries, emphasizing that he had not heard any objections from Democrats regarding the Justice Department’s actions.
Hawley pressed Bondi for clarity on who authorized these intrusive measures, though she refrained from discussing specifics, citing “very good reasons.” Nevertheless, she confirmed ongoing investigations with FBI Director Kash Patel to look into these allegations.
Hawley: I’ve been listening closely in this hearing, and I’ve heard over and over from my Democrat colleagues concerns about targeting political enemies, and they’ve accused you of all manner of things, and the current president. I’ve also heard them say—and I just wrote it down because I want to be sure I heard it correctly. I’ve heard them say that Joe Biden never targeted his political enemies. Joe Biden never directed his attorney general to target his political opponents. Huh? That’s interesting because I could have sworn that yesterday we learned that the FBI tapped my phone. Let’s look at it. We’ve got a list. Tapped my phone, tapped Lindsey Graham’s phone, tapped Marsha Blackburn’s phone, tapped five other phones of United States senators. Gee, it sure looks like targeting political opponents to me, and yet, I haven’t heard a word from that side of the dais about any concern whatsoever. We’ve got nothing but concerns today, but no concern at all for a Justice Department that is tapping the phones of sitting United States senators, because who knows why? They don’t like them? They’re members of the opposition party? They’re Republicans? They’re conservatives? You’ve seen this document, Attorney General Bondi. What was going on here? Who ordered this? Who ordered the tapping of the phones of United States senators?
Bondi: Senator Hawley, I cannot discuss the details of that right now for very good reason.
Hawley: You’re going to do a thorough investigation into this, I trust. Is that correct?
Bondi: We will be looking at all aspects of this, and I have talked to Director Patel at length about this.
Continuing his critique, Hawley highlighted further instances of the FBI and DOJ under Biden allegedly intimidating political opponents and dissenters, delivering a scathing seven-minute address that condemned the actions attributed to Joe Biden, Jack Smith, and the Department of Justice.
Bondi reaffirmed that Biden’s tenure marked a new low in “ultimate weaponization,” noting, “Under Donald Trump’s watch, it has ended.” She declared that “parents who wish to express their concerns about educational content will no longer be treated as adversaries,” adding, “Everyone should be free to worship without fear of persecution—whether they’re Catholics, at synagogues, or Muslims. That was the ultimate weaponization, and it won’t stand.”
Watch the full exchange below:
