90+ National Civil and Human Rights Organizations Urge Senate to Reject Bondi’s Attorney General Nomination
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick McNeil, [email protected]
WASHINGTON — The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, joined by 91 national organizations, wrote to senators today urging them to oppose confirmation of Pam Bondi to serve as attorney general of the United States. Based on her extensive anti-civil rights record, including her active participation in and support of President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, the organizations say that Ms. Bondi is disqualified from serving in one of the most critical civil rights posts in all of government.
At a time when multiracial democracy and fundamental rights are in jeopardy, it is critical that the U.S. Department of Justice, the nation’s signature agency for the enforcement of federal civil rights laws, is led by an attorney general who is committed to defending the civil and human rights of all people. As the letter states, “In our democracy, the attorney general is the people’s lawyer, not the president’s lawyer, and has a sacred duty to enforce our nation’s laws without prejudice and with an eye toward justice. She must be seen by the public — every member of the public, from every community — as fair and independent.”
This is particularly important given the threats proposed in Project 2025, the America First Policy Institute’s “America First Agenda,” and the president’s previous term in office and past statements. After carefully reviewing Ms. Bondi’s record, and after hearing her responses to questions before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the civil rights community has concluded that she will not vigorously enforce our country’s civil rights laws as they were intended and that she will not uphold the agency’s longstanding independence from undue political influences.
The letter also highlights examples of Ms. Bondi’s unacceptable record on voting rights and election denial, LGBTQ rights, the census, and access to health care and reproductive rights, in addition to her unflinching loyalty to the president and concerns about how she would politicize the Justice Department.
“At this critical time for our democracy, Ms. Bondi lacks the independence needed at the DOJ to build trust in the department and to ensure the fair enforcement of our nation’s civil rights laws. Her record and responses to questions during the hearing underscore that she lacks the commitment to defending the core tenets of our democracy and the civil and human rights of all people. People in America deserve better, and they deserve an attorney general who will vigorously work for them, enforce our federal civil rights laws, and build a more just, multiracial democracy. We strongly urge the Senate to oppose her confirmation,” the letter concludes.
The full letter is available here.
Leadership Conference resources
- Ahead of Ms. Bondi’s confirmation hearing, The Leadership Conference submitted a letter for the record to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Read it here.
- Following Ms. Bondi’s testimony before the committee, The Leadership Conference released a memo highlighting many of her troubling responses. Read it here.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.
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