Civil Rights Coalition Condemns Confirmation of Pam Bondi as Attorney General

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 after the Senate confirmed Pam Bondi to serve as attorney general of the United States:

“Senators who voted to confirm Pam Bondi to lead the nation’s signature agency for the enforcement of our federal laws — including our civil rights laws — and to deliver impartial justice have made a grave mistake. We must be clear: The regressive agenda threatened by Project 2025 to upend our civil rights protections and turn the Department of Justice from a shield to a weapon is underway. Ms. Bondi’s anti-civil rights background, record of election denial, and unflinching loyalty to the president make her unfit to lead the Department of Justice. At this critical time for our democracy, the American people deserve an attorney general who is fair and independent, who will defend the Constitution, and who will stand up to any powerful person’s violations of the law, even if that person is a friend to a sitting president. It is a position that must have public trust and not serve as a president’s personal weapon to abuse his power. And critically, it is supposed to be in the business of protecting the civil rights of all, not the prerogatives of the super rich. The burden now falls to Ms. Bondi to prove she will obey the oath of office and can truly serve as the people’s lawyer.

“For 75 years, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights has worked to pass federal civil rights laws that have sought to prohibit discrimination, improve people’s lives, and advance justice and equality for all the people of our nation. We have also worked to ensure these laws are meaningfully implemented and enforced, and that includes fighting for an attorney general and DOJ that is committed to faithfully enforcing the nation’s landmark civil rights statutes and protecting all communities, not an attorney general who will weaponize the DOJ to faithfully implement Project 2025. Our work doesn’t end now. Despite today’s vote, our values and our quest for justice will prevail. Our coalition will continue to fight for the rights and freedoms of all people and will be watching how the DOJ now proceeds under Attorney General Bondi.

“Today’s confirmation also raises the stakes for other DOJ nominees, including the nomination of Kash Patel to lead the FBI and Harmeet Dhillon to lead the Civil Rights Division. The Leadership Conference calls on senators to oppose these nominees and ensure that anyone confirmed to critical positions at the DOJ will honor and take seriously the department’s civil rights responsibilities.”

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. For more on Project 2025 and its plan to weaponize the DOJ, click 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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