Bondi's defiance shows a lack of accountability | Commentary | phillytrib.com

I listened to a congressional oversight hearing where Attorney General Pamela Bondi was asked to answer questions regarding how the Department of Justice is being handled.

One question that stands out was about women sitting in the room, who’d experienced sex abuse — some of them having these illegal things happen when one was as young as 9 years old. Others were teenagers when they were introduced to Donald Trump’s friend, Jeffrey Epstein. One member asked several questions of the women if they had ever been able to meet with the attorney general about their case. All the answers were “no.”

Being such a huge case, one would think the AG would be happy to get information from the victims. The names coming up in the case, including the president’s over 30,000 times, you’d think the AG would be interested. Not this AG! When asked about meeting with girls or apologizing to them, Bondi absolutely refused to apologize.

As shocking as the AG’s refusal was, she flippantly declined. She interrupted Congress members not allowing them to finish their questions. She would turn to staff to grab a piece of paper with non-responses to what was being asked then reading about a so-called problem in the member’s district. She talked over members, yelled at them and disrespected them in all the ways she could, but did not answer their questions.

She relished answering things they didn’t ask, and the Republican committee chair supported her.

Many listeners were surprised by her evasive and sassy responses to questions about her department's actions. She stuck to saying anything to attack any member who wore the Democratic label. When a Republican member who’d been seeking answers spoke, he received the same treatment as Democrats.

Bondi did everything she could to shield Trump from alleged abuses and totally became his guardian. She never deviated from her job to protect Trump. I kept thinking she would deviate from her notes that were constantly fed to her by staff. Rep. Lucy McBath, when speaking about the murder of her son, Bondi tried to modulate her tone.

I must give her credit that she knew what her mission was and she never deviated. The people sitting behind her handing her pictures and notes knew what their mission was. It was to attack the speaker. Bondi was busy getting the pre-planned notes she was told to use. As a woman, I was embarrassed for her, but she had no shame for herself. She just wanted to please her boss!

Maybe no one taught her what her job was to do when called before a congressional oversight committee. Instead of sitting in the hot seat all day, she could have told the truth and gotten back to whatever they do over at the DOJ before lunch. We saw the show Bondi put on today when she had a chance to show the American people what DOJ had been doing to advance Justice! She chose to evade why 250 people left DOJ; why 69 were separated, why many deputies, attorneys and career prosecutors left DOJ when they saw good people fired or laid off. She forgot she was now in the big leagues and when you cannot live up to the responsibilities of your job, you soon get a chance to return home! She should be on her way back to Florida now!

She tried to control the conversation with compliments about Donald Trump. Under Bondi, the reputation of DOJ took a big hit in this oversight hearing. The way she handled things was nothing short of insanity. Victims of the Epstein matter were sitting right behind her. Knowing the facts, she refused to say the simple words “I’m sorry” while at least two members of Congress gave her a chance to do so. She spent her time praising Donald Trump!

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E. Faye Williams is a civil and human rights activist, attorney, entrepreneur, former president and CEO of the National Congress of Black Women and founder/president of the Dick Gregory Society. She is also host of WPFW-FM’s “Wake Up and Stay Woke!”

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