Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during her confirmation hearing to be the next US attorney general in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Pam Bondi's Blind Obedience

As Trump's attorney general, Bondi has undermined her integrity, defined her legacy, and destroyed the nation’s Justice Department.

Incompetence will be President Donald Trump’s undoing. The only question is whether he and his minions will undo the nation first. Today’s subject is Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Bondi’s Blunders and Bluster

In her first year, Bondi has established an unprecedented record of destruction in the service of Trump. Servitude is more apt. Here’s a small sample:

Thousandsof experienced attorneys have left the Justice Department. Bondi fired those she deemed insufficiently loyal to Trump. Others resigned inprotestover her directives, such as investigating the partner of Renee Nicole Good—a US citizen whomImmigrationand Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota killed—rather than scrutinizing the actions of her ICE killers.- Bondi has decimated the department’s civil rightsdivision, which historically investigated whether federal officers had used excessive force in killings like Good’s. As division head Harmeet Dhillon turned its mission upside down, more than70%of its attorneys left. University of Chicago Law School Professor Craig Futtermanexplainedthat theTrump administration“is using a division that has a history of protecting the most vulnerable among us to wage an all-out assault on the civil rights of vulnerable people, including Black people, brown people, women, LGBTQIA folk.” - Across the country, judges are chastising federal prosecutors for defying court orders and are wondering if the problem is incompetence, work overload, or the executive branch’s systematic attack on the judiciary. At least 35 times since August, federal judges have orderedthe Trump administration to explain why it should not be punished for violating their orders in immigration cases: “Antiseptic judicial rhetoric cannot do justice to what is happening,” Judge Joseph R. Goodwin inWest Virginiawrote, calling the warrantless arrest and imprisonment of thousands across the country “an assault on the constitutional order.” - On Capitol Hill, Bondi refused to answer pointed questions and, instead, descended into bipartisan insultsof the elected representatives who dared to challenge her. When ranking memberJamie Raskin(D-Md.), a constitutional law professor,toldher not tofilibusterthrough his limited time for questioning, she snapped, “You don’t tell me anything, you washed up loser lawyer.” She called Republican Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) a “failed politician” who had “Trump derangement syndrome.” - Bipartisan outrage grows over Bondi’s incompetent and incomplete production of the Justice Department’s infamous Jeffrey Epstein files. It took Rep. Massie and a handful of fellow Republicansin the House to overcome the opposition of Trump and his congressional allies in forcing legislation requiring full disclosure by December 19, 2025. That deadline came and went before Bondi’s department finally produced files that included victims’ identities. The public learned on February 24 that the Justice Department’s belated 3.5 million-page document dumpexcludedfiles relating to allegations that Trump sexually abused a minor, according to ananalysis and theNPR.New York Times

Bondi’s Backstory

Understanding Bondi’s loyalty to Trump over her oath to uphold the Constitution requires a timeline:

• In November 2010, Bondi was elected Florida’s attorney general. From February 2008 to May 2011, her Office of Attorney General (OAG) received at least 22 complaints regarding Trump University, the Trump Institute, and related entities.
• In August 2013, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sued Trump, Trump Entrepreneur Institute aka Trump University, and the former president of Trump University for “engaging in persistent fraudulent, illegal, and deceptive conduct.” The Florida OAG said it was looking at the allegations.
• In September 2013, the Donald J. Trump Foundation made a $25,000 contribution to “And Justice for All,” a political group backing Bondi’s reelection. The donation, illegal for a 501(c)(3) private foundation, was personally solicitedby Bondi from Trump. - In October 2013, the OAG saidit would not act on the complaints against Trump University or join the lawsuit filed by New York’s attorney general. - In March 2016, Bondi becamethe first big-name Republican in the state to endorse Trump in the Florida presidential primary. A week later, CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics inWashington)fileda complaint against the Trump Foundation. Trump representatives admitted to the earlier illegal donation, blaming a series of clerical errors. - In June 2016, Bondi’s spokesperson told the Associated Pressthat the attorney general was unaware of the 20+ complaints against Trump entities when she solicited the donation in 2013. - In September 2016, the Washington Postdiscoveredthat Trump had paid a $2,500 IRS penalty for the illegal donation to Bondi. - In December 2016, Trump announced that he was shutting down his foundation in response to the growing scandal, which now included claims of self-dealing.
• In March 2017, an attorney hired by the Florida Commission on Ethics found: “[I]t may raise suspicions that within a month after the New York Attorney General announced that New York would be filing a lawsuit against Trump University,Donald Trumpcontributed a total of $25,500.00 to [Bondi] or her organizations. However, in this case, there is no evidence that [she] was involved with the investigation or decisions regarding Trump University.” - During Trump’s first impeachmenttrial in January 2020, Bondi was one of his defense lawyers.

Bondi’s Blind Obedience

Announcing Bondi as his choice for US attorney general to replace failed nominee Matt Gaetz, Trump said, “For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans—Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime and Making America Safe Again.”

To Bondi, that mission means slavish devotion to Trump and weaponizing the Justice Department against his enemies, including former FBI Director James Comey, NY Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell, Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook, six Democratic lawmakers who recorded a message to troops about not following illegal orders, and on and on and on. In some cases, the only check on her abuse of power has been the refusal of grand juries—consisting of ordinary citizens—to issue indictments that she had sought against Trump’s targets.

Bondi has undermined her integrity, defined her legacy, and destroyed the nation’s Justice Department. As with many members of Trump’s cabinet, her incompetence is catching up with her, but it’s taking a toll on all of us.

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Steven Harper

Incompetence will be President Donald Trump’s undoing. The only question is whether he and his minions will undo the nation first. Today’s subject is Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Bondi’s Blunders and Bluster

In her first year, Bondi has established an unprecedented record of destruction in the service of Trump. Servitude is more apt. Here’s a small sample:

Thousandsof experienced attorneys have left the Justice Department. Bondi fired those she deemed insufficiently loyal to Trump. Others resigned inprotestover her directives, such as investigating the partner of Renee Nicole Good—a US citizen whomImmigrationand Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota killed—rather than scrutinizing the actions of her ICE killers.- Bondi has decimated the department’s civil rightsdivision, which historically investigated whether federal officers had used excessive force in killings like Good’s. As division head Harmeet Dhillon turned its mission upside down, more than70%of its attorneys left. University of Chicago Law School Professor Craig Futtermanexplainedthat theTrump administration“is using a division that has a history of protecting the most vulnerable among us to wage an all-out assault on the civil rights of vulnerable people, including Black people, brown people, women, LGBTQIA folk.” - Across the country, judges are chastising federal prosecutors for defying court orders and are wondering if the problem is incompetence, work overload, or the executive branch’s systematic attack on the judiciary. At least 35 times since August, federal judges have orderedthe Trump administration to explain why it should not be punished for violating their orders in immigration cases: “Antiseptic judicial rhetoric cannot do justice to what is happening,” Judge Joseph R. Goodwin inWest Virginiawrote, calling the warrantless arrest and imprisonment of thousands across the country “an assault on the constitutional order.” - On Capitol Hill, Bondi refused to answer pointed questions and, instead, descended into bipartisan insultsof the elected representatives who dared to challenge her. When ranking memberJamie Raskin(D-Md.), a constitutional law professor,toldher not tofilibusterthrough his limited time for questioning, she snapped, “You don’t tell me anything, you washed up loser lawyer.” She called Republican Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) a “failed politician” who had “Trump derangement syndrome.” - Bipartisan outrage grows over Bondi’s incompetent and incomplete production of the Justice Department’s infamous Jeffrey Epstein files. It took Rep. Massie and a handful of fellow Republicansin the House to overcome the opposition of Trump and his congressional allies in forcing legislation requiring full disclosure by December 19, 2025. That deadline came and went before Bondi’s department finally produced files that included victims’ identities. The public learned on February 24 that the Justice Department’s belated 3.5 million-page document dumpexcludedfiles relating to allegations that Trump sexually abused a minor, according to ananalysis and theNPR.New York Times

Bondi’s Backstory

Understanding Bondi’s loyalty to Trump over her oath to uphold the Constitution requires a timeline:

• In November 2010, Bondi was elected Florida’s attorney general. From February 2008 to May 2011, her Office of Attorney General (OAG) received at least 22 complaints regarding Trump University, the Trump Institute, and related entities.
• In August 2013, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sued Trump, Trump Entrepreneur Institute aka Trump University, and the former president of Trump University for “engaging in persistent fraudulent, illegal, and deceptive conduct.” The Florida OAG said it was looking at the allegations.
• In September 2013, the Donald J. Trump Foundation made a $25,000 contribution to “And Justice for All,” a political group backing Bondi’s reelection. The donation, illegal for a 501(c)(3) private foundation, was personally solicitedby Bondi from Trump. - In October 2013, the OAG saidit would not act on the complaints against Trump University or join the lawsuit filed by New York’s attorney general. - In March 2016, Bondi becamethe first big-name Republican in the state to endorse Trump in the Florida presidential primary. A week later, CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics inWashington)fileda complaint against the Trump Foundation. Trump representatives admitted to the earlier illegal donation, blaming a series of clerical errors. - In June 2016, Bondi’s spokesperson told the Associated Pressthat the attorney general was unaware of the 20+ complaints against Trump entities when she solicited the donation in 2013. - In September 2016, the Washington Postdiscoveredthat Trump had paid a $2,500 IRS penalty for the illegal donation to Bondi. - In December 2016, Trump announced that he was shutting down his foundation in response to the growing scandal, which now included claims of self-dealing.
• In March 2017, an attorney hired by the Florida Commission on Ethics found: “[I]t may raise suspicions that within a month after the New York Attorney General announced that New York would be filing a lawsuit against Trump University,Donald Trumpcontributed a total of $25,500.00 to [Bondi] or her organizations. However, in this case, there is no evidence that [she] was involved with the investigation or decisions regarding Trump University.” - During Trump’s first impeachmenttrial in January 2020, Bondi was one of his defense lawyers.

Bondi’s Blind Obedience

Announcing Bondi as his choice for US attorney general to replace failed nominee Matt Gaetz, Trump said, “For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans—Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime and Making America Safe Again.”

To Bondi, that mission means slavish devotion to Trump and weaponizing the Justice Department against his enemies, including former FBI Director James Comey, NY Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell, Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook, six Democratic lawmakers who recorded a message to troops about not following illegal orders, and on and on and on. In some cases, the only check on her abuse of power has been the refusal of grand juries—consisting of ordinary citizens—to issue indictments that she had sought against Trump’s targets.

Bondi has undermined her integrity, defined her legacy, and destroyed the nation’s Justice Department. As with many members of Trump’s cabinet, her incompetence is catching up with her, but it’s taking a toll on all of us.

- Watchdogs Call Out Trump AG Pick Pam Bondi's Corporate Lobbying › - Hearing Watch: Will AG Pam Bondi Own Up To Her Conflicts of Interest? › - Bondi Stonewalls Congress on the ‘Enemies List’ She Directed DOJ to Compile › - As Bondi Testifies to Senate, DOJ Alumni Blast 'Appalling' Leadership › - Democrats Didn't Do Everything in Their Power to Hold Up Trump's Attorney General Pick › - 70+ Legal Experts Accuse Pam Bondi of 'Serious Professional Misconduct' ›

Steven Harper

Incompetence will be President Donald Trump’s undoing. The only question is whether he and his minions will undo the nation first. Today’s subject is Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Bondi’s Blunders and Bluster

In her first year, Bondi has established an unprecedented record of destruction in the service of Trump. Servitude is more apt. Here’s a small sample:

Thousandsof experienced attorneys have left the Justice Department. Bondi fired those she deemed insufficiently loyal to Trump. Others resigned inprotestover her directives, such as investigating the partner of Renee Nicole Good—a US citizen whomImmigrationand Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota killed—rather than scrutinizing the actions of her ICE killers.- Bondi has decimated the department’s civil rightsdivision, which historically investigated whether federal officers had used excessive force in killings like Good’s. As division head Harmeet Dhillon turned its mission upside down, more than70%of its attorneys left. University of Chicago Law School Professor Craig Futtermanexplainedthat theTrump administration“is using a division that has a history of protecting the most vulnerable among us to wage an all-out assault on the civil rights of vulnerable people, including Black people, brown people, women, LGBTQIA folk.” - Across the country, judges are chastising federal prosecutors for defying court orders and are wondering if the problem is incompetence, work overload, or the executive branch’s systematic attack on the judiciary. At least 35 times since August, federal judges have orderedthe Trump administration to explain why it should not be punished for violating their orders in immigration cases: “Antiseptic judicial rhetoric cannot do justice to what is happening,” Judge Joseph R. Goodwin inWest Virginiawrote, calling the warrantless arrest and imprisonment of thousands across the country “an assault on the constitutional order.” - On Capitol Hill, Bondi refused to answer pointed questions and, instead, descended into bipartisan insultsof the elected representatives who dared to challenge her. When ranking memberJamie Raskin(D-Md.), a constitutional law professor,toldher not tofilibusterthrough his limited time for questioning, she snapped, “You don’t tell me anything, you washed up loser lawyer.” She called Republican Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) a “failed politician” who had “Trump derangement syndrome.” - Bipartisan outrage grows over Bondi’s incompetent and incomplete production of the Justice Department’s infamous Jeffrey Epstein files. It took Rep. Massie and a handful of fellow Republicansin the House to overcome the opposition of Trump and his congressional allies in forcing legislation requiring full disclosure by December 19, 2025. That deadline came and went before Bondi’s department finally produced files that included victims’ identities. The public learned on February 24 that the Justice Department’s belated 3.5 million-page document dumpexcludedfiles relating to allegations that Trump sexually abused a minor, according to ananalysis and theNPR.New York Times

Bondi’s Backstory

Understanding Bondi’s loyalty to Trump over her oath to uphold the Constitution requires a timeline:

• In November 2010, Bondi was elected Florida’s attorney general. From February 2008 to May 2011, her Office of Attorney General (OAG) received at least 22 complaints regarding Trump University, the Trump Institute, and related entities.
• In August 2013, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sued Trump, Trump Entrepreneur Institute aka Trump University, and the former president of Trump University for “engaging in persistent fraudulent, illegal, and deceptive conduct.” The Florida OAG said it was looking at the allegations.
• In September 2013, the Donald J. Trump Foundation made a $25,000 contribution to “And Justice for All,” a political group backing Bondi’s reelection. The donation, illegal for a 501(c)(3) private foundation, was personally solicitedby Bondi from Trump. - In October 2013, the OAG saidit would not act on the complaints against Trump University or join the lawsuit filed by New York’s attorney general. - In March 2016, Bondi becamethe first big-name Republican in the state to endorse Trump in the Florida presidential primary. A week later, CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics inWashington)fileda complaint against the Trump Foundation. Trump representatives admitted to the earlier illegal donation, blaming a series of clerical errors. - In June 2016, Bondi’s spokesperson told the Associated Pressthat the attorney general was unaware of the 20+ complaints against Trump entities when she solicited the donation in 2013. - In September 2016, the Washington Postdiscoveredthat Trump had paid a $2,500 IRS penalty for the illegal donation to Bondi. - In December 2016, Trump announced that he was shutting down his foundation in response to the growing scandal, which now included claims of self-dealing.
• In March 2017, an attorney hired by the Florida Commission on Ethics found: “[I]t may raise suspicions that within a month after the New York Attorney General announced that New York would be filing a lawsuit against Trump University,Donald Trumpcontributed a total of $25,500.00 to [Bondi] or her organizations. However, in this case, there is no evidence that [she] was involved with the investigation or decisions regarding Trump University.” - During Trump’s first impeachmenttrial in January 2020, Bondi was one of his defense lawyers.

Bondi’s Blind Obedience

Announcing Bondi as his choice for US attorney general to replace failed nominee Matt Gaetz, Trump said, “For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans—Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime and Making America Safe Again.”

To Bondi, that mission means slavish devotion to Trump and weaponizing the Justice Department against his enemies, including former FBI Director James Comey, NY Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell, Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook, six Democratic lawmakers who recorded a message to troops about not following illegal orders, and on and on and on. In some cases, the only check on her abuse of power has been the refusal of grand juries—consisting of ordinary citizens—to issue indictments that she had sought against Trump’s targets.

Bondi has undermined her integrity, defined her legacy, and destroyed the nation’s Justice Department. As with many members of Trump’s cabinet, her incompetence is catching up with her, but it’s taking a toll on all of us.

- Watchdogs Call Out Trump AG Pick Pam Bondi's Corporate Lobbying › - Hearing Watch: Will AG Pam Bondi Own Up To Her Conflicts of Interest? › - Bondi Stonewalls Congress on the ‘Enemies List’ She Directed DOJ to Compile › - As Bondi Testifies to Senate, DOJ Alumni Blast 'Appalling' Leadership › - Democrats Didn't Do Everything in Their Power to Hold Up Trump's Attorney General Pick › - 70+ Legal Experts Accuse Pam Bondi of 'Serious Professional Misconduct' ›

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