Things got fiery on Capitol Hill Tuesday when Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Attorney General Pam Bondi clashed during a tense Senate Judiciary Committee hearing — and by the end of it, Schiff wasn’t just in control, he had Bondi flailing under pressure, dodging questions, and lashing out in frustration.
The questioning centered on a reported 2024 bribery scandal involving White House Border Czar Tom Homan, who allegedly received a bag of cash totaling $50,000 — a transaction that sparked an FBI investigation. Homan hasn’t been charged, but the Senate wanted answers, and Bondi — who oversees the Justice Department — was in the hot seat.
Schiff, armed with his usual precision, repeatedly asked Bondi a simple question: “So I’m asking you the question, did he take the money?”
Rather than respond directly, Bondi evaded: “I already answered that question.”
Schiff pushed back: “I don’t think you have.” What followed was a masterclass in grilling a witness who didn’t want to be grilled.
Bondi attempted to brush it off by distancing herself from the timeline: “The investigation was prior to my confirmation as attorney general.” She then pivoted to what sounded more like a character reference than a legal defense: “All I know is that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director [Kash] Patel said there was no case. And Caroline Leavitt is one of the most trustworthy human beings I know.”
That wasn’t good enough for Schiff — and apparently not good enough for anyone wanting real answers about whether one of the president’s top border officials took a bag of cash.
Then Bondi went personal: “If you worked for me, I would have fired you.”
Schiff didn’t blink: “You can stipulate to all your personal attacks on the Democratic members of the committee.”
Visibly rattled, Bondi snapped back: “Personal attacks? You’ve been attacking my FBI director. You’ve been attacking my office.”
But Schiff wasn’t about to let the sideshow distract from the substance. He pressed on, trying to hold Bondi accountable for what she hadn’t said.
“You’re the attorney general. This will be your decision. Will you support…” he asked, before Bondi cut him off with another outburst: “Don’t tell me what is my decision.”
And that’s when Schiff dropped the hammer.
“Let me do this because I think it’s valuable that the American people get a sense of what you have refused to answer today,” Schiff began, laying out a rapid-fire list of damning non-answers that left the attorney general squirming.
“You are asked whether you consulted with career ethics lawyers, as you promised you would do during your nomination hearing, when you approved the president receiving a $400 million gift from the Qataris. You refuse to answer that question.
You are asked who or what role you may have played, or who played the role, in asking that Trump’s name be flagged in any of the Epstein documents gathered by the FBI? You refuse to answer that question.
You were asked whether Homan kept the $50,000 bribe money? You refuse to answer that question.
You were asked whether Homan paid taxes on the $50,000 bribe money? You refuse to answer that question.
You were asked, did career prosecutors find insufficient evidence to charge James Comey? You refused to answer that question.
You were asked, how are military strikes on these boats in the Caribbean legal? And you refuse to even answer that question.”
Cornered and clearly frustrated, Bondi snapped, “Do you have a law degree?”
It was meant to sting. It didn’t.
Schiff didn’t even dignify it with a response. (For the record: yes, he does — from Harvard Law, no less, ranked 6th in the nation. Bondi graduated from Stetson University, ranked 99th.)
Instead, Schiff reminded everyone why he was leading the hearing in the first place.
“You were asked by my colleague whether you believe government officials, like immigration officials, have to abide by court orders? You wouldn’t even answer that question. This is supposed to be an oversight hearing.”
As Bondi tried to interject one more time, Schiff dismissed it with clinical finality:
“Attack me later. And I know you’ve got plenty of canned attacks. We’ve heard them all day today.”
If Bondi came into that hearing hoping to deflect and defuse, it backfired. Badly. Schiff not only held the floor — he held her accountable in front of the nation, with the facts, the receipts, and a calm command that made Bondi look less like the nation’s top law enforcement official and more like someone with something to hide.
Watch the video below:
