Senate Must Protect Civil Rights and Reject Bondi’s Attorney General Nomination

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick McNeil, [email protected]

WASHINGTONMaya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement ahead of the Senate’s expected vote to invoke cloture on the nomination of Pam Bondi to serve as attorney general of the United States:

“The Senate is poised to consider an election denier to oversee enforcement of federal voting rights laws and yet another anti-civil rights Trump loyalist who has provided absolutely no assurance that she would be able to defend the Constitution, be fair and independent, and stand up against the unethical and unlawful actions of the president. If confirmed as attorney general, Pam Bondi will have the power to inflict real harm on communities, from denying access to health care, allowing discriminatory and unconstitutional policing to continue unchecked, and shutting voters out of the electoral process that is central to our democracy. That is a terrifying proposition for the nation’s most important civil rights enforcement agency.

“Beyond the damage already inflicted on the enforcement of our civil rights laws by Trump’s recent callous direction to halt critical actions underway by the department, Bondi’s record demonstrates she will further endanger our communities and attack civil rights from within the DOJ. That is unacceptable and must not happen. The vote to confirm Pam Bondi will be a civil rights vote, and what the full Senate does now matters. It matters for people with disabilities seeking to have their rights vindicated under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal laws protecting their freedom to live in an accessible America. It matters for people of color trying to buy a home without being discriminated against because of what they look like. And it matters for victims of hate and bias-motivated crimes who need strong leadership at the department willing to vigorously pursue justice. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights coalition, implores all senators to demand better for our freedoms and for our future by opposing Pam Bondi’s nomination.”

Resources

  • The Leadership Conference, joined by 93 other national organizations, wrote to the Senate in strong opposition to Ms. Bondi’s confirmation. Read the letter here.
  • Following Ms. Bondi’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary 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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