Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, has vowed to head up a Justice Department free from political influence and mismanagement if confirmed – using her confirmation hearing Wednesday to assuage concerns that she might use the role to go after Trump's so-called "enemies" or otherwise weaponize the Department of Justice.
For weeks, Bondi has done the same behind closed doors – meeting with nearly every member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, a bipartisan charm offensive designed to head off any unexpected encounters and ensure an easy path to confirmation.
As of Wednesday, the careful strategy seems to have paid off, with even Democrats on the panel praising the former Florida AG in light of their earlier in light of their earlier one-on-one meetings in private.
"I had a good meeting with her," Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., told Politico Wednesday following the hearing.
Speaking to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the start of her confirmation Wednesday, Bondi highlighted her early dreams of becoming a prosecutor – a dream she said was realized almost immediately after beginning law school.
"From the moment I interned at the State Attorney's office in Tampa, Florida, all I wanted to do was be a prosecutor," Bondi said, noting that she had four jury trials while in law school. "I lost most of them," she laughed, but still "never wanted to do anything else."
"If confirmed," Bondi continued, her tone turned serious, "I will fight every day to restore confidence and integrity to the Department of Justice and each of its components."
She also vowed to collaborate closely with the Judiciary Committee, building on earlier relationships developed with Senate offices in the run-up to Wednesday's hearing.
Trump’s Democratic detractors wasted little time in the hearing detailing their concerns about Bondi’s confirmation and her ability to steer the Justice Department in the face of a willful, and at times seemingly impulsive president-elect; many of them confronted her directly with the names of her would-be predecessors who tried and failed to do the same.
They questioned her willingness to go after political "enemies" and asked her to give credence to certain remarks made by Kash Patel, Trump's FBI nominee.
But Bondi appeared composed and largely unflappable during the course of Wednesday's hearing, which stretched for more than five hours, save for a 30-minute lunch break.
She highlighted her record on fighting violent crime, drug trafficking, and human trafficking as Florida's top prosecutor, and outlined her broader vision for heading up the Justice Department, where she stressed her desire to lead a department free from political influence.
If confirmed, Bondi's former colleagues have told Fox News Digital they expect her to bring the same playbook she used in Florida to Washington – this time with an eye to cracking down on drug trafficking, illicit fentanyl use, and the cartels responsible for smuggling the drugs across the border.
Whether the approach will prove successful, however, remains to be seen.
Those who have worked with Bondi in her decades-long prosecutorial career have described her in both a series of interviews and letters previewed exclusively to Fox News Digital as an experienced and motivated prosecutor whose record has proved to be more consensus-builder than bridge-burner.
Democrat Dave Aronberg, who challenged Bondi in her bid for Florida attorney general, told Fox News Digital in an interview that he was stunned when Bondi called him up after winning the race and asked him to be her drug czar – a role where they would go on to work in tandem to crack down on the state's opioid crisis – some of the office's most important and lasting work.
He credited her in an interview as the "most responsible for ridding the state of Florida of destructive pill mills," citing her push for statewide legislation, and her work in enforcing Florida's "Statewide Prescription Drug Diversion and Abuse Road Map" to coordinate federal, state and local efforts to fight the opioid crisis, among other actions.
At the time, the Sunshine State was at the epicenter of the U.S. opioid crisis, with an abundance of "pill mills," cash-only clinics, and lack of statewide prescribing laws that allowed for the purchase of addictive medications largely without restrictions.
When Bondi took office, opioids were killing around seven people each day, Aronberg said in an interview. There were also "more pain clinics than McDonald's locations" in Florida at the time, he said, illustrating the magnitude of the problem. If confirmed as U.S. attorney general, Bondi has made clear she plans to remain focused on cracking down on illicit drugs – albeit on a national scale.
Other parts of her record in Florida were also highlighted Wednesday, including consumer protection victories and economic relief secured by then-Florida attorney general Bondi on behalf of residents in the Sunshine State.
After the 2008 financial crisis, her work leading the National Mortgage Settlement resulted in $56 billion in compensation to victims, and in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Bondi's lawsuit against BP and other companies responsible resulted in a $2 billion settlement in economic relief.
These issues are likely to take center stage in Thursday's hearing – the second day of Bondi's two-day confirmation – which will focus on testimony of others who have worked with her over the years.
National praise
In the weeks ahead of Bondi's hearing, dozens of former state attorneys general and more than 100 former top Justice Department officials urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to confirm Bondi, praising both her experience for the role and commitment to the rule of law.
The letter from the former Justice Department officials was signed by top officials who served in Democratic and Republican administrations, and by former U.S. attorneys general John Ashcroft, Jeff Sessions, Bill Barr and Edwin Meese, who noted: "It is all too rare for senior Justice Department officials – much less Attorneys General – to have such a wealth of experience in the day-to-day work of keeping our communities safe."
The letter also praised what the officials described as Bondi's "national reputation" for her work to end human trafficking, and prosecuting violent crime in the state.
More recently, Bondi also earned the support of 60 former state attorneys general. The delegation included both Democrats and Republican attorneys general, who touted what they described as Bondi’s wealth of prosecutorial experience – including in her role as Florida's top prosecutor – that they said makes her especially qualified for the role.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is slated to reconvene Thursday at 10:15 a.m. to hear from a panel of outside witnesses relating to Bondi's qualifications for attorney general.
Rep. Pete Aguilar, a top Democrat who served on the congressional committee investigating President-elect Donald Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, isn't expecting any favors from the outgoing commander-in-chief.
He said he thinks a preemptive pardon from President Joe Biden, protecting him from Trump's potential retaliation, is unnecessary because the Jan. 6 committee "didn't do anything wrong."
"I don’t think a pardon is necessary. I stand by the work that we did," on the committee, Aguilar told reporters at the Capitol Tuesday.
The California Democrat also said that he has "not sought a pardon," nor has he spoken to anyone at the White House about one. Fox News Digital reached out to Aguilar to inquire whether he would accept one, if it were granted to him, but did not hear back.
Lawmakers who served on the House committee investigating Jan. 6 have been split about the importance of a preemptive pardon. Some fear it will set a bad precedent for future presidents and assert that the Constitution's speech and debate clause provides adequate protection against criminal prosecutions, or civil lawsuits, over their legislative work. Others, meanwhile, have welcomed the idea of a pardon, fearing "retribution" from Trump.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the former Jan. 6 committee investigating Trump, said he spoke with the White House last month about the potential of issuing pardons for lawmakers who served on the committee, and said he would accept a pardon from Biden if it were granted to him.
"I believe Donald Trump when he says he’s going to inflict retribution on this," Thompson said this week. "I believe when he says my name and Liz Cheney and the others. I believe him."
Other than Thompson, no other members of the committee have indicated they will accept a pardon granted to them by Biden. However, they have stopped short of saying whether they would decline one.
"I’ve not been in touch with the White House. I’ve not sought one," Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., who served on the committee, said Tuesday.
"It would be the wrong precedent to set. I don’t want to see each president hereafter on their way out the door giving out a broad category of pardons," Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif, who also served on the committee, said in an interview with CNN earlier this month. Former GOP Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger made the same argument as Schiff, but went a step further, saying that he did not want one.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said during a live event this week hosted by Politico that he wasn't sure what the right call for Biden was.
"Different people have different feelings about the whole pardon thing because there are these outrageous threats that are being leveled against people just for doing their jobs, like Jan. 6 prosecutors at the Department of Justice," Raskin said. He added that "in a just world" there would be no need for a pardon because the committee did nothing wrong.
"I'm glad we've got a wise president with wise people around him who will be able to figure that out," Raskin said.
During Biden's final interview as president with a print publication last week, he indicated that preemptive pardons for Trump's political foes were still under consideration. Biden also noted in the interview that he had personally urged Trump not to "try to settle scores" when he met with the president-elect at the White House following his November election victory.
Trump has referred to Thompson and other members on the Jan. 6 committee as "thugs" and "creeps." During an interview on NBC's "Meet The Press" last month, Trump accused the members on the committee of destroying evidence, adding that "everybody on that committee … should go to jail."
"They lied. And what did they do? They deleted and destroyed a whole year and a half worth of testimony. Do you know that I can’t get — I think those people committed a major crime," Trump told NBC's Kristen Welker.
On Tuesday, the Justice Department released a 137-page report outlining the details of Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation into Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Due to Trump's election victory, prosecutors were forced to drop the case, but the report, according to Smith, shows how Trump allegedly used "lies as a weapon to defeat a federal government function foundational to the United States’ democratic process."
The Jan. 6 committee concluded its work after roughly a year and a half of investigations with a final report that determined Trump played a central role in the events that led to the siege on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and that there was enough evidence for federal prosecutors to convict him. The report included several criminal referrals that the committee ultimately passed on to the Department of Justice.
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom will temporarily raise the American Flag at the state Capitol to full height on Inauguration Day next week, joining a handful of GOP governors and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson in the decision.
Newsom's press office confirmed the decision to Fox News Digital on Wednesday night.
Following tradition, flags at the U.S. Capitol and state buildings across the country are flying at half-staff because of the death of former President Jimmy Carter on Dec. 29, 2024.
Flags temporarily raised to full height will return to half-staff on Jan. 21 for the remainder of the 30-day mourning period, which ends on Jan. 28 – eight days after President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn into office.
As of Thursday morning, Newsom is the only Democratic governor to issue the directive, which comes as Southern California is ravaged by catastrophic wildfires.
Similar decisions were recently made by Idaho Gov. Brad Little, North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott – all of whom are Republicans.
Trump has criticized the potential for flags to be displayed at half-staff for his inauguration following Carter's death.
"The Democrats are all 'giddy' about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at 'half mast' during my Inauguration," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Jan. 3. "They think it’s so great, and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don't love our Country, they only think about themselves."
"Look at what they’ve done to our once GREAT America over the past four years - It’s a total mess! In any event, because of the death of President Jimmy Carter, the Flag may, for the first time ever during an Inauguration of a future President, be at half mast," he continued. "Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Flags were flown at half-staff when former President Nixon was sworn-in for his second term in 1973 after Nixon ordered the flags to be lowered following the death of former President Truman.
Fox News Digital's Landon Mion contributed to this report.
President Biden is ending his tenure in the White House on a "sad" note after "lying to the nation" and taking credit for a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas during his farewell address on Wednesday evening, a Trump transition official said.
"Joe Biden is going out sad. Lying to the nation trying to take credit for a deal that all parties credit President Trump for making happen. Biden has had well over a year to secure the release of these hostages and peace. He failed. Trump succeeded," a Trump transition official told Fox News Digital on Wednesday evening.
War has raged in the Middle East since October of 2023, with Israel and Hamas coming to a cease-fire agreement on Wednesday that also ensured the release of hostages.
Biden delivered his final address to the nation on Wednesday evening, where he took a victory lap for the cease fire in his opening remarks.
"My fellow Americans, I'm speaking to you tonight from the Oval Office. Before I begin, let me speak to important news from earlier today. After eight months of nonstop negotiation, my administration – by my administration – a cease-fire and hostage deal has been reached by Israel and Hamas. The elements of which I laid out in great detail in May of this year," Biden said.
"This plan was developed and negotiated by my team, and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration. That's why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed, because that's how it should be, working together as Americans," he continued.
Credit for reaching the agreement, however, was bolstered by the incoming Trump administration, according to sources who told Fox Digital that a recent meeting between Trump's incoming Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly played a pivotal role in the deal.
Netanyahu also thanked Trump on Wednesday for "his assistance in advancing the release of the hostages."
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke this evening with US President-elect Donald Trump and thanked him for his assistance in advancing the release of the hostages and for helping Israel bring an end to the suffering of dozens of hostages and their families," the official Prime Minister of Israel X account posted.
"The Prime Minister made it clear that he is committed to returning all of the hostages however he can, and commended the US President-elect for his remarks that the US would work with Israel to ensure that Gaza will never be a haven for terrorism."
The X account added later: "Prime Minister Netanyahu then spoke with US President Joe Biden and thanked him as well for his assistance in advancing the hostages deal."
When asked who the history books would remember for championing the cease-fire deal earlier Wednesday, Biden balked at the suggestion Trump and his team spearheaded the effort.
"Who in the history books gets credit for this, Mr. President, you or Trump?" Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich asked Biden at Wednesday afternoon's White House news conference.
"Is that a joke?" the president responded.
"Oh. Thank you," Biden responded when Heinrich said it was not a joke, and then walked away.
Reactions from social media came pouring in on Wednesday night as President Joe Biden delivered his farewell address to the country ending his career in politics that spanned over half a century.
"Joe Biden discussing democracy, a free press, institutions and the abuse of power in his final farewell speech is rich," GOP Congresswoman Nancy Mace posted on X.
"What an embarrassing and pathetic end to an embarrassing and pathetic term," Fox News host Greg Gutfeld posted on X.
"Joe Biden can’t even read. Every time he speaks it gets worse," conservative commentator and radio host Clay Travis posted on X. "Trying to run him in 2024 is the most reckless and indefensible presidential decision in any of our lives."
"My thoughts on President Joe Biden’s Farewell Address: It was underwhelming and divisive," Gabriella Hoffman, Independent Women’s Forum Center for Energy & Conservation director, posted on X.
"I’m relieved his four-year term is coming to an end. Mr. Biden failed to bring Americans together and pushed terrible "whole of government" policies that weakened us on many fronts: energy, national security, economics/small business, foreign affairs, and general freedoms. History won’t look kindly on Biden’s tenure. He’s now the most unpopular U.S. President in history."
"Joe Biden mentions climate hysteria ahead of actual priorities, like border security, lowering costs, and peace through strength," GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin posted on X. "They never learn."
"I'm stunned," former Democrat adviser Dan Turrentine posted on X. "I'm no historian, but, I don't recall a more dark Presidential farewell address? It's more a cry to the DNC than accentuating the positive to the country. This is sad."
"Biden ends his presidency by using rhetoric that would be right at home in a third-world communist dictatorship," Red State writer Bonchie posted on X. "This may be the worst farewell speech in presidential history."
Democrats, however, generally had a decidedly different take.
"Four years ago, in the middle of a pandemic, we needed a leader with the character to put politics aside and do what was right," former President Barack Obama posted on X.
"That’s what Joe Biden did. At a time when our economy was reeling, he drove what would become the world’s strongest recovery – with 17 million new jobs, historic wage gains, and lower health care costs. He passed landmark legislation to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and address the threat of climate change. I’m grateful to Joe for his leadership, his friendship, and his lifetime of service to this country we love."
Liberal commentator Harry Sisson posted on X, "President Biden just gave the best speech of his presidency."
"His farewell address was incredibly moving. I will always be thankful for President Biden and his talented administration. Thank you to everyone who served and gave America an amazing four years."
Biden's speech comes as he has four days left in his presidency until Monday's inauguration when President-elect Trump will be sworn into office.
"My fellow Americans, I'm speaking to you tonight from the Oval Office. Before I begin, let me speak to important news from earlier today. After eight months of nonstop negotiation, my administration – by my administration -- a cease fire and hostage deal has been reached by Israel and Hamas. The elements of which I laid out in great detail in May of this year," Biden said in his opening remarks, taking credit for the recent announcement that a cease fire deal had been reached in Israel.
"This plan was developed and negotiated by my team, and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration. That's why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed, because that's how it should be, working together as Americans," he continued.
Biden's speech also focused on the American dream and the "most powerful idea" that "all of us are created equal."
"The very idea of America was so big we felt the entire world needed to see. The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France after our civil war. Like the very idea of America. It was built not by one person, but by many people, from every background and from around the world. Like America, the Statue of Liberty is not standing still. Her foot literally steps forward atop a broken chain of human bondage. She's on the march and she literally moves," he said.
"A nation of pioneers and explorers, of dreamers and doers, of ancestors native to this land, of ancestors who came by force. A nation of immigrants came to build a better life, a nation holding a torch. The most powerful idea ever in the history of the world that all of us, all of us are created equal. All of us deserve to be treated with dignity, justice and fairness. That democracy must defend and be defined and be imposed, moved in every way possible. Our rights, our freedoms, our dreams," he said.
A Native American tribe in South Dakota lifted its banishment on Republican Gov. Kristi Noem in a letter Wednesday, offering its endorsement of her nomination to serve as secretary of Homeland Security, Fox News Digital has learned.
Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe President Tony Reider wrote a letter to Noem Wednesday informing her the tribe's executive committee voted to "remove the banishment" it placed on Noem in May and congratulated her for her nomination to serve in President-elect Trump's cabinet.
The letter comes just days before Noem is scheduled to appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for her confirmation hearing.
"I commend you on your nomination by President Elect Donald Trump to the position of Secretary of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and hereby support your nomination. I wish you the best of luck during the Senate confirmation hearing on January 17, 2025, and believe that your dedication to the safety and security of the United States will benefit us all," Reider's letter states, according to a copy obtained by Fox News Digital.
All nine native tribes in South Dakota banned Noem from their reservations last year after outrage over her suggestion that tribal leaders benefit from cartels and the immigration crisis and comments regarding native children's futures. The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe was the last tribe to ban her.
"Their kids don’t have any hope. They don’t have parents who show up and help them. They have a tribal council or a president who focuses on a political agenda more than they care about actually helping somebody’s life look better," Noem said last year in a comment that drew criticism from tribes.
Reider addressed the issue in his letter to Noem Wednesday, explaining that the governor has apologized for her previous remarks and explained her commentary.
"One of the stipulations contained in the banishment resolution was that you apologize for the comments that were made regarding tribal members and the education of tribal member children which were deemed offensive by some. In several meetings before and after the resolution was passed, you not only explained your position, but apologized if the comments offended the Tribe. You additionally sought advice on how to phrase such communications moving forward, which the Tribe and I appreciated," Reider wrote.
Trump announced Noem as his pick to lead DHS shortly after his decisive win over Kamala Harris, citing the Republican governor's efforts to secure the southern border, which has been overwhelmed by illegal crossings under the Biden administration.
In the months since her nomination, Noem has picked up endorsements from at least eight police groups or unions, including a union that represents thousands of Border Patrol agents.
Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry also called on Senate lawmakers, most notably Democrats, to swiftly confirm Noem after a terrorist attack that shook New Orleans on New Year's Day.
The International Association of Fire Fighters, a large, historically Democratic firefighter union, also recently endorsed Noem, arguing during the raging wildfires in Los Angeles she "understands emergency management and the importance of government response to emergencies both natural and man-made."
The Congressional DOGE Caucus’ plans for cutting government waste are shifting into focus after the group’s second-ever closed-door meeting on Wednesday.
Caucus leaders are splitting lawmakers into eight working groups focused on different sectors for waste-cutting. Those will focus on retirement, social and family safety nets, emergency supplemental funding, energy permitting, homeland security, defense and veterans, the workforce, and government operations, according to a document viewed by Fox News Digital.
Co-chairs Aaron Bean, R-Fla., and Pete Sessions, R-Texas, challenged lawmakers in the room to introduce at least one bill related to government efficiency in the 119th Congress.
Both told Fox News Digital that it was just one of the coordinated efforts the caucus is planning as it seeks to be the legislative support for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) being co-led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
"We’regoing to aim for a day where we will drop pieces of legislation, a day where we will go on the floor and speak to the American people," Sessions told Fox News Digital.
Bean expounded on the idea, labeling it "DOGE Days."
"We're going to have a day where we hopefully can draw up 20, 30 bills and all the DOGE members come forward, boom, we're on them," Bean said. "We're going to have great team work and great synergy and momentum."
They asked attendees to fill out a survey, a copy of which was obtained by Fox News Digital, designating which working groups they would like to be a part of.
During the closed-door meeting, lawmakers took turns to discuss their own ideas for cutting government waste as well.
Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., called for a constitutional amendment requiring Congress to balance the federal budget.
And Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., suggested cutting off child tax credit eligibility for illegal immigrants.
"Currently, we’re not nearly careful enough… where illegal aliens are getting a child tax credit, childcare tax credit. That's ridiculous. You know, so those are my point was those are the easy things to do, the low-hanging fruit," Van Drew told Fox News Digital when asked about his meeting comments.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who is leading the DOGE effort on the Senate side and also attended the Wednesday House meeting, urged lawmakers there to work with their counterparts in the upper chamber on bicameral bills.
Lawmakers have been enthusiastic about the goals laid out by Musk and Ramaswamy’s new panel. Commissioned by President-elect Trump, the group is an advisory panel aimed at recommending where the executive branch can cut government waste.
The DOGE Caucus is a bid to make Trump’s cost-cutting initiatives permanent through legislation.
The group opened and email tip line which Bean and Sessions said has already received over 15,000 emails.
Bean said he was surprised but pleased at the enthusiasm.
Sessions added, "I've gotten probably 200 letters here that were really typed out, and some were written, that said, ‘Thank you for doing this. I'd like you to hear from me.’ And this is an acknowledgement back to the American people who have skin in the game also."
Florida's Republican Sen. Marco Rubio sailed through his confirmation hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, all but assuring he will assume the role of top diplomat under the new Trump administration later this month.
Rubio’s confirmation hearing — a process usually full of verbal diatribes, strong political agendas and illusive answers — was full of pleasantries, with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers applauding his work in the Senate and his in-depth knowledge of complex issues across the globe.
While Rubio may have been welcomed by his Senate colleagues, his hearing wasn’t entirely contention-free.
The secretary of state-hopeful’s opening remarks were interrupted by several protesters affiliated with a group known as Code Pink, who were protesting the Israel-Hamas war and wore pink shirts that read "stop killing the children of Gaza."
Two of the demonstrators forced to leave the chamber were male, before a female protester also stood up and yelled out in Spanish.
She was quickly escorted from the room and the hearing promptly restarted.
"I get bilingual protesters," Rubio said to the panel of senators with a grin before resuming his remarks.
Rubio’s quip about the protesters appeared to set the tone for his hearing.
Though Rubio faced tough questions about detailed geopolitical issues on nearly every continent, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle also joked around with their Senate colleague.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., introduced Rubio at the top of the hearing and quipped that "finally" he will get to be the senior senator of Florida after the duo have served together in the upper chamber since 2019.
Sen. Cory Booker , D-N.J., drew chuckles when he said, "Sen. Rubio, the President [elect] made a great decision in choosing you. You’re a thought leader in foreign policy. I, however, don’t think most Americans know how great of a thought leader you are in NCAA, NFL and high school football, and I’m a little disappointed that you’re not going to the head of the NCAA right now."
To which Rubio replied, "Not yet," garnering laughs from the room.
In another bipartisan moment rarely seen during Cabinet nomination hearings, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., told a touching story from one of her first encounters with Rubio — a stark contrast to her questioning of defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth the day prior.
In 2018, not only was Duckworth relatively new to the upper chamber, but the soon-to-be new mom was also pushing the congressional body to change its rules and allow new parents to bring their infant onto the Senate floor during a vote.
Duckworth, who is physically disabled after surviving a 2004 RPG attack on her helicopter in Iraq, described rolling across the Senate floor in her wheelchair when she heard someone call out her name.
"And you came running down from the top back of the Senate chambers to tell me, ‘I’m with you. I will support you’," she said. "And I just want to thank you for that kindness… It was a moment of true bipartisanship."
Rubio responded and said, "I think what I exactly said is, ‘What’s the big deal? This place is already full of babies,'" once again drawing laughs.
The five-hour hearing wasn’t all fun and levity, as Rubio was pressed on issues with major security implications like the war in Ukraine, China, NATO and Artic security.
Rubio surprised no one with his tough-on-China approach and his commitment to remaining a strong ally of NATO’s.
However, one area senators may have hoped Rubio would have come out more definitively was over what continued support for Ukraine may look like and how the incoming Trump administration will handle the question of Ukraine becoming a NATO member.
Both Ukraine and Russia have signaled they are open to negotiating a cease-fire. But securing a lasting peace deal could be difficult as Ukraine entering the NATO alliance has been deemed a non-negotiable by both Kyiv — who wants the alliance’s security — and Moscow — which has fervently opposed Ukrainian NATO membership.
"The truth of the matter is that in this conflict there is no way Russia takes all of Ukraine. The Ukrainians are too brave, and fight too hard, and the country is too big," Rubio said.
But he added that "there’s no way Ukraine is also pushing these people [Russians] all the way back to where they were on the eve of the invasion."
Rubio pointed out that Ukraine will not be able to keep up with the sheer number of bodies that Russia can throw in to the war.
"It's important for everyone to be realistic. There will have to be concessions," he said. "This is not going to be easy. "[It's] going to require a lot of hard diplomacy."
The security threats surrounding China came up in nearly every issue Rubio was asked to address, including its growing presence in Africa and Latin America, its oppressive practices in the South China Sea, concerns over trade, human rights abuses, tech and its growing relationships with other adversarial nations.
"This is something that's existed now for at least a decade in my service," he said, referring to a 2017 trip he took to Panama. "Chinese companies control port facilities at both ends of the canal — the east and the west. And the concerns among military officials and security officials, including in Panama, at that point, [was] that could one day be used as a choke point to impede commerce in a moment of conflict."
"This is a legitimate issue that needs to be confronted," Rubio added.
The issue of Chinese control over the major waterway resurfaced earlier this month when Trump refused to say whether he would rule out military intervention in the Panama Canal.
Rubio was pressed on the subject multiple times, though he was clear that he was not yet at a point where he knew enough about the legal parameters of U.S. intervention in Panama to give a thorough response.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., applauded Rubio for being "extremely well-prepared" for his confirmation hearing as the next secretary of state — a stark contrast to his tense engagement with Hegseth during the hearing a day prior.
"We're used to seeing nominees who know a lot about a couple of things, and sometimes, who know very little about virtually everything," he said. "But I think you've seen a hearing with a nominee who — agree or disagree with the points he's made — he's not talking out of a briefing book.
"He's not having a thumb through a binder to decide how to answer a particular question," Kaine continued. "I've always been struck by working with Sen. Rubio on this committee, since I came to the Senate in January 2013, that he has a very well-developed sense of the world and a passion in all corners of it."
Kaine's sentiment appeared to be shared by the entirety of the committee, and many of the senators expressed confidence that Rubio will be unanimously confirmed for the top job.
Latest Political News on Fox News
Latest Political News and Updates from BBC
