Pam Bondi to testify before Senate amid Trump’s troop deployments

Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, will face senators on Tuesday, as Donald Trump ramps up his crackdown on political opponents, Democratic-run cities and alleged drug traffickers.

Bondi’s appearance before the Senate judiciary committee will give lawmakers from both parties the opportunity to question her about the president’s high-profile interventions into the justice system, including the indictment last month of the former FBI director James Comey, a longtime foe.

“No one is above the law,” Bondi wrote on social media after the charges against Comey were announced – an echo of rhetoric used by Democrats after Trump was indicted during Joe Biden’s presidency.

Though the charges were filed against Comey only after a top federal prosecutor was dismissed, reportedly for not moving forward with the case, Bondi said: “Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.”

The attorney general is also likely to be questioned on the legal underpinnings of the Trump administration’s deadly strikes on boats believed to be carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela, as well as the brewing controversy over the release of documents related to alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Bondi’s appearance comes as Trump ordered national guard troops into Chicago over the objections of the city’s leaders, and is sending the California national guard to Portland after a federal judge blocked him from sending Oregon’s forces.

The state of Illinois has sued over the Chicago deployment, while California’s governor Gavin Newson said his state would ask a judge to stop its troops from being sent to Portland.

In addition to her appearance before the Senate, Bondi was expected to testify this week to lawmakers in the House of Representatives, but Speaker Mike Johnson has kept that chamber out of session to pressure Senate Democrats to accept a Republican proposal to fund the government.