Trump Cabinet confirmations feature both top-shelf and unhinged candidates

Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump's prime to pb the Justice Department arsenic lawyer general, arrives and is greeted by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., left, earlier she appears earlier the Senate Judiciary Committee for her confirmation hearing, astatine the Capitol successful Washington, Jan. 15, 2025. Photo by J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Wednesday’s Senate confirmation hearings offered a striking juxtaposition: successful 1 proceeding was Sen. Marco Rubio, a person with the credentials and composure to service arsenic caput of state. In the different was Pam Bondi, whose inevitable confirmation for lawyer wide should beryllium a resounding informing astir the consequences of prioritizing loyalty implicit ethics.

Let’s beryllium clear: We don’t hold with Rubio connected galore of his argumentation positions. His hard-line stances connected issues specified arsenic migration and reproductive rights bash not align with our values. But governance demands competence, acquisition and a committedness to upholding the institutions that marque ideology work. Rubio has shown those traits passim his career. Unfortunately, the aforesaid cannot beryllium said for Bondi, whose tenure arsenic Florida lawyer wide revealed a troubling signifier of ethical lapses and bare partisanship.

Rubio’s qualifications to beryllium caput of authorities are undeniable. The kid of Cuban immigrants, helium worked tirelessly to go a lawyer and policymaker who has served astatine each level of government, from metropolis commissioner to talker of the Florida House of Representatives to U.S. senator. As a subordinate of the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees, Rubio has been progressive successful America’s astir pressing planetary challenges for much than a decade. His expertise successful Latin American affairs and his long-standing warnings astir China’s increasing planetary power are a testament to his preparedness for this role.

During Donald Trump’s archetypal presidency, Rubio occasionally broke with enactment orthodoxy. For example, helium publically acknowledged Russia’s interference successful the 2016 predetermination and opposed Trump’s overtures to authoritarian regimes. While his enactment for Trump’s 2024 run suggests that helium is an astute governmental operative who is much pliable than we like, his committedness to the country’s overseas argumentation objectives appears genuine.

Rubio’s confirmation proceeding underscored this distinction. He articulated a wide imaginativeness for America’s relation successful the satellite and emphasized the value of diplomacy. While we stay skeptical of elements of his worldview, his accomplishment and acquisition successful the realm of planetary relations volition beryllium captious to protecting U.S. interests during the expected chaos and unpredictability of the upcoming 2nd Trump term.

Bondi’s hearing, by contrast, was an workout successful willful ignorance, knowing deflection and unnecessary confrontation. In different words, it was connected marque for a Trump nominee.

Florida’s lawyer wide from 2011 to 2019, Bondi’s tenure was marked by a tireless devotion to Trump and a repeated willingness to usage her bureau for idiosyncratic governmental summation and retribution alternatively than the pursuit of justice. Bondi was criticized for firing 2 investigators who were making advancement connected foreclosure fraud cases, seemingly to appease almighty fiscal interests. And successful possibly her astir egregious act, Bondi postponed an execution truthful she could be a run fundraiser. These actions uncover a signifier of prioritizing idiosyncratic and governmental interests implicit justice. It’s a way grounds that should — but apt won’t — disqualify her from starring the Department of Justice.

During her hearing, Bondi attempted to represent herself arsenic a seasoned authoritative focused connected “getting backmost to the basics” of instrumentality enforcement. But her misleading and vague responses to captious questions from members of the committee betrayed a troubling loyalty to Trump implicit the regularisation of instrumentality and the law authorization of the Senate to connection proposal and consent. When pressed astir her views connected the 2020 predetermination and the weaponization of the Department of Justice, Bondi evaded nonstop answers and refused to accidental that Joe Biden won the predetermination — a stark reminder of her relation successful perpetuating Trump’s mendacious claims of predetermination fraud.

In a tract of nominees that has often prioritized loyalty implicit merit, Rubio stands retired arsenic a qualified prime for caput of state. His acquisition and committedness to governance, nevertheless flawed, connection a semblance of stableness and competence successful a challenging planetary landscape. We are inclined to judge that determination are lines Rubio wouldn’t transverse for Trump. Those lines mightiness beryllium much distant from the halfway than we would like, but they exist.

Bondi’s confirmation, connected the different hand, threatens to formed the DOJ into acheronian days of crass governmental interference.Bondi has insisted she won’t maltreatment the bureau for Trump oregon his supporters. She says she volition support her fingers disconnected the scale. But her inheritance suggests she has large and consenting thumbs successful this regard.

She volition beryllium confirmed. Of that determination is small doubt. Now each the nationalist tin bash is vocally importune that Bondi lives up to her connection and oath and pursues her caller occupation with impartiality, propriety and adherence to the astir honorable traditions of the Department of Justice. The federation is watching, and we tin lone anticipation that Bondi volition emergence to the occasion. If she doesn’t, the judgement of past volition beryllium harsh.