Democratic lawmakers seek review of DOJ cases involving Pam Bondi's brother

By David Thomas

March 11 (Reuters) - Two Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday asked the U.S. Department of Justice's watchdog to review whether U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has properly recused herself from cases involving clients of her brother Brad Bondi, a partner at a prominent law firm.

U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Dave Min asked DOJ Deputy Inspector General William Blier to review whether Pam Bondi has "adequately recused" herself from cases involving her brother, and whether the department implemented the right safeguards.

They said they never received a response to a December 16 letter asking the attorney general and her deputy Todd Blanche what steps were being taken in cases "in which Mr. Bondi’s involvement likely poses a conflict of interest for the attorney general."

Brad Bondi and his law firm Paul Hastings did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bondi co-chairs the firm's investigations and white-collar defense practice.

DOJ spokesperson Gates McGavick said decisions that affected Bondi's clients "were made through the proper channels, and the attorney general had no role in them." A spokesperson for DOJ's inspector general's office declined to comment.

Schiff and Min said in their letter to Blier that Bondi in January posted on LinkedIn several victories he and his team won in 2025, including on behalf of Nikola founder Trevor Milton, who was convicted of fraud in 2022 and then pardoned by President Donald Trump last year.

Other defendants Bondi represented had their criminal cases delayed unnecessarily or dropped, Schiff and Min said.

"Given the troubling pattern at the department of repeated interventions or dismissals in cases involving Mr. Bondi, we are concerned that DOJ officials, including the attorney general, may have failed to ensure the independence of internal accountability mechanisms," Schiff and Min wrote.