Durbin Questions Bondi on Trump References in Epstein Files and National Guard Deployment

National Guard Deployment and White House Consultation

• 🏛️ Senator Durbin questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi regarding consultation with the White House before deploying National Guard troops to U.S. cities.
• 🚫 Bondi refused to discuss internal conversations with the White House, citing confidentiality.
• ❓ Durbin expressed concern over the lack of transparency and rationale for deploying troops to his state.

Alleged Gift from Qatar and Legal Rationale

• ✈️ Durbin questioned Bondi about advising President Trump to accept a $400 million luxury jet from the royal family of Qatar.
• ⚖️ He cited the Constitution and statutory regime that vests Congress with the power to control such gifts from foreign states.
• 📄 Bondi stated she worked for Qatar on anti-human trafficking for the World Cup and that advice to the president is confidential, involving the Office of Legal Counsel.

Epstein Files and Alleged Trump References

• 📁 Durbin inquired about Bondi's public claim of having the Epstein client list on her desk and why only publicly available information was produced.
• 📄 Bondi clarified she stated she had not yet reviewed it, and a memo from her office indicated no client list existed.
• 📈 A whistleblower alleged Bondi pushed the FBI to review Epstein-related records with a short deadline, flagging documents mentioning President Trump.
• 🚫 Bondi refused to discuss who gave the order to flag records related to President Trump.

Flight Logs and Republican Requests

• ✈️ Bondi questioned Durbin's stance on releasing Epstein flight logs, stating he refused Republican requests and fought their production.
• 🗣️ Durbin countered that he asked for requests to be put in writing, which he claims were not provided.
• 📜 Senator Blackburn stated she repeatedly asked for the flight logs and brought up a subpoena, accusing Durbin of misrepresenting the situation.