Bondi hearing live updates: Democrats frustrated by Bondi on 2020 election answers

After pressing Bondi over what he called Trump FBI director pick Kash Patel's "enemies list," Sen. Whitehouse shifted to questioning Bondi on whether she would shut down the FBI's national security and counterterrorism work, to which Bondi answered that, while she will look at every agency, she has no "intention of shutting anything down."

She then expanded on her TV appearance with Fox News host Sean Hannity, where she called for "investigating the investigators."

She gave the example of a so-called "bad" prosecutor in the Justice Department as Kevin Clinesmith. Clinesmith was an ex-FBI lawyer who entered into a plea deal with former special counsel John Durham and received a sentence of probation for altering an email that was used to support an application for a foreign surveillance warrant.

Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse questioned Bondi about her past statement that prosecutors who investigated Trump should be prosecuted for what she claimed was wrongdoing.

Bondi reiterated her claims that Trump was unfairly targeted by the Justice Department for years and it was her duty to hold everyone to standards of the law.

"None of us are above the law," she said.

When asked about prosecuting journalists, Bondi said, "I believe in the freedom of speech. Only if anyone commits a crime."

Bondi was questioned about Trump's FBI director pick Kash Patel, who has spoken about using that role to "root out" Trump's political enemies.

Patel has referred to these targets as "Deep Staters," citing what critics call conspiracy theories about alleged sinister elite groups controlling the country.

Bondi said she has never had an "enemies list," and said she does not believe Patel has one.

"I don't believe he has an enemies list. He made a quote on TV, which I have not heard," Bondi said.

"There will never be an enemies list within the Department of Justice," she added.

Bondi said she believes Patel is "the right person at this time" for the role.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham turned to immigration in his question and brought up the Laken Riley murder to ask Bondi if she would push for more detention beds for detained immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

"We let this dude go because we didn't have enough beds to hold them," Graham said of Jose Ibarra, convicted in the 2024 killing.

Bondi said she would look into it.