Bondi hearing live updates: Bondi suggests Jack Smith's conduct is 'horrible'

For the third time during Wednesday's hearing, Bondi dodged when asked who won the 2020 presidential election.

"We want an attorney general who bases decisions on facts," Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono said. "So, I want to ask you a factual question. Who won the 2020 presidential election?"

"Joe Biden is the president of the United States," Bondi replied.

Hirono accused Bondi of refusing to directly answer the question of who won.

"I can say that Donald Trump won the 2024 election. I may not like it, but I can say it," Hirono said. "You cannot say who won the 2020 presidential election. It's disturbing that you can't."

Blumenthal asked whether she would enforce the TikTok ban, which is slated to begin on Sunday.

Bondi cited the pending Supreme Court case and claimed she could not comment. Trump once pushed for a ban but has come against the bipartisan bill approved last year that would ban it unless its owners divested from Chinese ownership.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he was "deeply disturbed" by some of Bondi's responses during the hearing, particular her earlier not answering directly when asked whether Trump lost the 2020 election.

"You have to be able to say that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election," he said. "You dodged that question when you were asked directly by Senator Durbin."

Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons questioned Bondi again about her independence -- and if she would resign from her post if she were asked to do something illegal or unethical.

Coons noted Donald Trump's attorneys general in his first term were fired for failing to cooperate with his orders.

Bondi said she would not talk about hypotheticals and reiterated her statement that she would follow the law.

"Senator, I wouldn't work at a law firm, I wouldn't be a prosecutor, I wouldn't be attorney general If anyone ask me to do something improper, and I felt I had to carry that out, of course I would not do that," she said.