Sen. Durbin Questions AG Bondi on National Guard Deployment and Qatar Jet Gift

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 regarding the rationale for National Guard deployments, particularly the transfer of Texas National Guard units to Illinois.
• 🏛️ Durbin criticized the administration's approach, stating that a simple question about the legal rationale for troop deployment became grounds for personal attack.

Qatar Jet Gift and Constitutional Concerns

• ✈️ Durbin raised concerns about President Trump accepting a $400 million luxury jet from the royal family of Qatar.
• 📜 He cited the Constitution's grant of power to Congress to control such gifts from foreign states, suggesting the gift violates statutory law.
• ✉️ Durbin questioned Bondi's refusal to answer a letter sent five months prior, seeking the legal rationale for advising Trump to accept the gift from her former client.
• ⚖️ Bondi clarified her role with Qatar involved anti-human trafficking work for the World Cup and stated that advice to the President on such matters involves consultation with the Office of Legal Counsel.

DOJ Grant Programs and Law Enforcement Funding

• 📉 Durbin pointed to proposed budget cuts to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDA) grants as an example of the administration's impact on law enforcement funding.
• 🤝 Bondi offered to work with Durbin to reinstate specific grant programs if he could identify ones that support law enforcement and have been cut.
• 🚨 She highlighted that National Guard troops and DOJ officials were en route to Chicago to enhance safety, contrasting this with Durbin's focus on grant programs.

Epstein Client List and Record Review

• 📝 Durbin questioned Bondi about a public claim that the Epstein client list was on her desk for review, contrasting it with the subsequent release of already public information.
• 📄 Bondi stated that she had not reviewed the list yet and that a memo from her office indicated no such client list existed.
• 🔎 Durbin also inquired about a directive to flag Epstein-related records mentioning President Trump and the reason for an unsigned memo from the DOJ and FBI.
• ✈️ Bondi countered by questioning Durbin's past actions regarding the release of Epstein flight logs and campaign donations.