Two Democratic lawmakers are asking the Justice Department’s watchdog to examine whether Attorney General Pam Bondi sufficiently distanced herself from matters involving her lawyer brother, Brad Bondi.
Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Dave Min, both California Democrats, said they have been waiting since Dec. 16 to learn whether the Justice Department properly implemented firewalls and screening procedures.
“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,” they said in a letter Wednesday to Justice Department Deputy Inspector General William Blier.
The letter shows the lawmakers are renewing their effort to look for any conflicts between Brad Bondi, the co-chair of Paul Hastings’ investigations and white collar defense practice, and his sister. Schiff and Min said they received no response after initially writing Pam Bondi and her deputy, Todd Blanche, on Dec. 16.
Brad Bondi and Paul Hastings did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Justice spokesman Gates McGavick said in a statement, “These decisions were made through the proper channels, and the Attorney General had no role in them.”
The lawmakers cited four matters in their letter that they say posed a likely conflict, including the convicted founder of Nikola Corp. Trevor Milton’s pardon from President Trump in March 2025. Brad Bondi served as lead trial counsel for Milton.
In another case the lawmakers cited, DOJ charged developers Sidarth Chakraverty and Victor Alston with 11 counts of wire fraud in September 2024. They retained Brad Bondi in July 2025, and not long after, the charges were dismissed.
Bondi joined Paul Hastings in 2023 from Cahill Gordon & Reindel, where he also chaired the investigations group. He ran unsuccessfully last year for DC Bar President.
