The FBI headquarters building is seen in Washington, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)2025-01-15T12:00:41Z WASHINGTON (AP) As President-elect Donald Trumps pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, prepares for questioning from senators on Wednesday, only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults are extremely or very confident that the Department of Justice will act in a fair and nonpartisan manner during his second term, a poll finds.Their faith in the neutrality of the FBI is similarly low, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which was conducted before the beginning of the confirmation hearings for Trumps Cabinet. Even some Republicans express uncertainty in the Justice Department and the FBI, suggesting that even once they take office, Trump and his allies may find it challenging to restore trust in the law enforcement agencies theyve heavily criticized. Adding to the doubts about the incoming Trump administration, the poll also finds that Americans views of several of his highest-profile nominees are more negative than positive, although many dont have an opinion about the people hes selected for his Cabinet. However, one of Trumps more controversial nominees, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is still broadly popular with Republicans, according to the poll. Kennedy, the scion of a Democratic dynasty and a prominent vaccine skeptic, has been tapped as top health official. His confirmation hearings have not been scheduled. Doubts about law enforcement agencies fairnessTrump has selected loyalists to lead the Department of Justice and the FBI after threatening to retaliate against perceived adversaries. Relatively few Americans are confident that these agencies will act in a fair and impartial manner over the next four years, according to the poll. This combination photo of President-elect Donald Trumps nominees who will have confirmation hearings Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, shows Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, from top left, Transportation Secretary nominee Sean Duffy, Secretary of Homeland Security nominee South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, and from bottom left, CIA Director nominee John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State nominee Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Russell Vought, nominee for director of the Office of Management and Budget. (AP Photo) This combination photo of President-elect Donald Trumps nominees who will have confirmation hearings Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, shows Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, from top left, Transportation Secretary nominee Sean Duffy, Secretary of Homeland Security nominee South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, and from bottom left, CIA Director nominee John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State nominee Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Russell Vought, nominee for director of the Office of Management and Budget. (AP Photo) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More About half of Americans are not very or not at all confident that the Justice Department and the FBI will act in a fair and nonpartisan manner during Trumps second term, while about one-third are somewhat confident and about 2 in 10 are extremely or very confident. Even as a new GOP administration prepares to take control, Republicans are split on whether the DOJ and the FBI will remain neutral. Only about one-quarter of Republicans are at least very confident that the agencies will behave in a nonpartisan way, while about 4 in 10 are somewhat confident and roughly one-third are not very or not at all confident.Their uncertainty may reflect the fact that the nations law enforcement agencies have been heavily criticized over the last few years by Trump and his allies, including by Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, and Kash Patel, his choice to lead the FBI. In one radio appearance, Bondi described special counsel Jack Smith, who who charged Trump in two federal cases, and other prosecutors who have charged Trump as horrible people she said were trying to make names for themselves by going after Donald Trump and weaponizing our legal system.Patel, meanwhile, has called for dramatic changes to the FBI, including reducing its footprint and authority. Views of key nominees are more negative than positiveThe poll finds that only about 2 in 10 Americans approve of Pete Hegseths nomination as secretary of defense. He faced contentious confirmation hearings on Tuesday. A similarly small share say they somewhat or strongly approve of Tulsi Gabbard being tapped to serve as intelligence chief and Patel being selected as FBI director. About one-third of Americans disapprove of each of the picks, while the rest either dont have an opinion or dont know enough to say. Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trumps choice to be Defense secretary, speaks before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trumps choice to be Defense secretary, speaks before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Read More Many Republicans are on board with Trumps choice of Hegseth, Gabbard and Patel about 4 in 10 approve of their nominations although a significant chunk arent familiar with the nominees or dont have an opinion. The poll also indicates that many Americans may be skeptical of Trumps strategy in selecting some Cabinet nominees, like Hegseth, a former Fox News Channel weekend host, who does not have a traditional track record in government. Only about one-quarter say that it would be a good thing for the president to rely on people without government experience for advice about government policy, while about half say it would be a bad thing and the rest say it wouldnt be good or bad. Republicans are more likely than Democrats or independents to say its a good thing for the president to rely on people without government experience about 4 in 10 say this, compared with about 2 in 10 independents and about 1 in 10 Democrats while about 3 in 10 say its neither good nor bad and about one-quarter say its a bad thing.Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination is broadly popular among RepublicansBut not all of the nominees are unknown and at least one has many fans in Trumps base. Kennedy, who has promised to overhaul the Department of Health and Human Services staff, has broader name recognition than Hegseth, Gabbard or Patel, but Americans feelings toward him are still more cold than warm. About 3 in 10 U.S. adults somewhat or strongly approve of Kennedys nomination, while about 4 in 10 somewhat or strongly disapprove, and the rest are neutral or dont know enough to say.Republicans are largely fans of Kennedys nomination, however, with about 6 in 10 saying they approve of his selection as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. ___The AP-NORC poll of 1,147 adults was conducted Jan. 9-13, using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX Thomson-DeVeaux is the APs editor for polling and surveys.