AG Bondi’s Senate Stonewalling About Her Former Firm’s Lobbying Influence Activities At DOJ Deserves Scrutiny
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to answer a Senator’s direct question about whether she had conversations with her former employer, lobbyist Brian Ballard, before the Department of Justice’s surprise decision in July to drop an antitrust case involving Ballard’s lobbying client, American Express Global Business Travel (AmEx GBT).
A Public Citizen analysis of Ballard Partners’ lobbying activity disclosures in 2025 found that it reported receiving $200,000 between January and July from AmEx GBT to lobby the Department of Justice on “Antitrust issues.” The two lobbyists listed on the filing as lobbying DOJ are Justin Sayfie and Brian Ballard. On July 29, AmEx GBT issued a statement announcing that DOJ was dismissing the antitrust case involving AmEx GBT.
“It’s strange that the Attorney General refuses to say whether she spoke to a lobbyist who’s been working to influence her department,” said Jon Golinger, democracy advocate with Public Citizen. “It invites even bigger questions about just how much corporate lobbyists are influencing the Justice Department to benefit their clients.”
“Americans depend on DOJ to vigorously enforce our laws, hold corporate wrongdoers accountable, and protect the rule of law,” Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert added. “As I testified in January at AG Bondi’s Senate confirmation hearing, we feared that if confirmed she would be a driven loyalist to Donald Trump and take actions that reflect the needs of the entities she represented. The ability of the Attorney General to represent the interests of the American public must not continue to be compromised.”