U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi torched Democrat Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) for his blatant hypocrisy and political grandstanding.
Padilla questioned with a smug demand for a “yes or no” answer about whether FBI Director Patel, who reports to Bondi, was “doing a good job.” But Bondi didn’t hesitate.
Alex Padilla:
Director Patel was here before us just a few weeks ago. Attorney General Bondi, you are the Attorney General of the United States. Director Patel reports to you. Do you believe he’s doing a good job — yes or no?Pam Bondi:
I believe Director Patel is doing a great job. You know where he is right now, Senator Padilla? Right now, you asked me a question. Director Patel is in Chicago, Senator — fighting to keep Chicago safe.Alex Padilla:
Yes, I know where he is. I know where he’s headed because you said it earlier in the hearing.Alex Padilla:
You said it earlier in the hearing, and yes, I have been paying attention.
That’s when things exploded. After Padilla’s snide response about “paying attention,” Bondi fired back with one of the most devastating takedowns.
Pam Bondi:
You want an order in here now, yet you stormed the Director of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. You sure didn’t have an order that day, did you, Senator?Alex Padilla:
Attorney General, you are under oath. I did not storm the Secretary. The video makes that very clear.Pam Bondi:
Oh, that was on video. That video has been released — I believe very public.
Padilla’s attempt to pivot back to a pre-scripted list of Democrat talking points only made matters worse. He droned on about “politicization” and “retaliatory firings,” grasping at straws to paint Patel—and by extension, Bondi—as partisan. But Bondi wasn’t done.
When given the floor again, she unleashed a barrage of facts that shredded Padilla’s narrative:
Alex Padilla:
Mr. Chairman, recent actions raised serious concerns about Director Patel’s judgment and politicization, including lawsuits from former FBI officials alleging retaliatory firings, and his decision to cut off long-standing partnerships with civil rights organizations. He also decided to fire an FBI agent for refusing to engage in a, quote, “perp walk” of James Comey. Then, on top of all that, he prematurely claimed that subjects were in custody after the shooting of Charlie Kirk. I take Attorney General Bondi’s endorsement today of his work as her support for those actions. Thank you, Mr. Chair.Pam Bondi:
May I respond, Senator Chairman? Under Dr. Patel, 23,000 violent criminals have been arrested — a 91% increase over last year. More than 1,500 child predators have been arrested. We are making cases in your jurisdiction constantly, in California, and I wish you would care about those cases. We have disrupted 1,600 gangs and criminal enterprises — 1,600 gangs within this country — thanks to Director Patel and the great men and women of the FBI.
WATCH:
BREAKING: Pam Bondi just STUNNED Senator Jose Padilla after he tried to talk about having ORDER at the Senate Hearing:
“You want ORDER here now, yet YOU STORMED The Director of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, you sure didn’t have order that day, did you, Senator?”
OWNED! pic.twitter.com/YGoOcrbsIi
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) October 7, 2025
Back in June, Alex Padilla was physically restrained and removed for heckling DHS Secretary Kristi Noem while she was giving a briefing on the Los Angeles riots.
Padilla approached the podium in an aggressive manner so he was quickly restrained.
“I have questions for the Secretary because the fact of the matter is half a dozen violent criminals that you’re rotating on your — hands off!” Padilla shouted as he was removed from the room.
Screen images from a video posted by CBS News show just how close a casually dressed heckler (who turned out to be Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) who rushed to the front of the room came to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Secret Service and FBI agents treated the aggressive man as a threat and quickly forced him out of the room–even as he yelled out “I am Senator Alex Padilla” while he struggled with the agents.