All posts tagged "pam bondi"

Pam Bondi's job at risk after 'boundless' defense of Trump on one key issue: analysis

Pam Bondi's constant defense of Donald Trump may be her undoing, according to a political analyst — who believes a single issue will unravel this year.

The US Attorney General has been a hard line supporter of Trump during his second term in office, but Stephanie McCrummen believes this dedication will mean Bondi's time in the White House is coming to an end. Writing in The Atlantic, McCrummen suggested the staggered release of the Epstein files could be Bondi's sword to fall on.

McCrummen wrote, "At this point, there is little mystery about who Pam Bondi has become. She is an attorney general who does not tell Trump no."

"During the first year of her tenure, Bondi has carried out the most stunning transformation of the Justice Department in modern American history, turning an autonomous agency charged with upholding the U.S. Constitution into one where the rule of law is secondary to the wishes of the president."

"It has meant providing a legal justification for the extrajudicial killings of at least 123 people suspected of smuggling drugs, and for the operation to capture the Venezuelan president, an action that opens the door to a world in which the only law is power. And it has meant becoming the face of the Epstein-files scandal, a position that could ultimately be Bondi’s undoing."

Though Trump previously had "loyalists" in the position of Attorney General, he has not had someone like Bondi in position before, according to McCrummen.

"Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation, citing ethics concerns; Bill Barr refused to say that the 2020 election had been stolen," she wrote. "Bondi’s willingness to do what Trump wants appears to be boundless, and yet that still might not be enough for him.

"Trump has reportedly been complaining in recent weeks that Bondi has not been moving as fast as he’d like in pursuing cases against his political opponents."

But it could be more than Trump's wrath that Bondi incurs with her actions over the Epstein files. McCrummen said. "His [Trump's] frustration extends to her handling of the Epstein files, a political disaster for him that could mean legal jeopardy for her.

"Bondi has so far failed to comply with a federal law that required the release of all the unclassified Epstein files by December 19 —millions of investigative documents known to contain not only references to Trump but potentially compromising information about some of the most powerful men in the world."

Federal official backs Trump 'secretary of retribution' in harassment of key J6 prosecutor

A federal official assigned to the Trump administration’s Interagency Weaponization Working Group, tasked with delivering “accountability” for alleged “misconduct” under Joe Biden, operates a pseudonymous X account that has advanced conspiracy theories including characterizing the Jan. 6 attempted pipe bombing as “an orchestrated inside job” and sharing a video in which a pro-Trump activist who has advocated violence harasses a lead prosecutor, accusing her of “covering up for the fed-surrection.”

Carolyn Rocco, a former Air Force official at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), was identified by Reuters as a member of the Interagency Weaponization Working Group, or IWWG.

Raw Story can reveal that Rocco last month used the X account @Krow121812 to tag Attorney General Pam Bondi in a post sharing an interview with former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio.

The interview shows Tarrio, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy in relation to the January 6, 2021 attack on Congress before receiving a full pardon from President Donald Trump, discussing an apparent effort by Jocelyn Ballantine, a senior prosecutor at the Department of Justice, to pressure him into implicating Trump in the criminal conspiracy to disrupt certification of the electoral vote in the 2020 presidential election.

The New York Times has reported that federal prosecutors approached Tarrio and offered leniency if he confirmed he communicated with Trump through intermediaries in the run-up to Jan. 6.

“Hey @AGPamBondi,” the post by @Krow121812 reads. “You may want to spend a little less time on Fox News and a little bit more time cleaning up your own house.”

The @Krow121812 account also reshared a video of Ivan Raiklin, a far-right provocateur who describes himself as Trump’s “secretary of retribution,” stalking Ballantine outside the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C. in late December, accusing her of “covering up the fed-surrection.”

Rocco hasn’t tried to hide her identity: Last September, @Krow121812 thanked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for reinstating military service members who refused COVID-19 vaccination. The post was signed, “Lt. Col. Carolyn Rocco.”

Likewise, Rocco confirmed her position at the ODNI in September by posting a reply expressing appreciation to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard for leading staff as they took oaths. Gabbard thanked Rocco for joining the office.

Ballantine, deputy chief of the DOJ National Security Section, has increasingly become a target for Trump supporters, for her role overseeing the Proud Boys prosecution, which yielded the convictions of the leadership cadre of the neo-fascist street gang, and for prosecuting Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security advisor.

Cara Castronuova, a former Proud Boys associate now White House correspondent for LindellTV, asked Trump about Ballantine at the White House last month, about how he felt about her being assigned to prosecute the Jan. 6 pipe bomber case.

“Jocelyn is being looked at,” Trump replied. “They all have to be looked at. What they’re doing is so bad.”

'Drive for retribution'

Following a Reuters report in October, DNI Gabbard belatedly confirmed that she launched the IWWG last April.

Reuters revealed the involvement of at least 39 people representing the ODNI, White House, CIA, Department of Justice, Department of War, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies.

The effort is meant to “help … steer” Trump’s “drive for retribution against his perceived enemies.”

ODNI has maintained that the IWWG is not “targeting any individual person.”

ODNI spokesperson Olivia C. Coleman told Raw Story: “IWWG is simply looking at available facts and evidence that may point to actions, reports, agencies, individuals, etc, who illegally weaponized the government in order to carry out political attacks.”

Coleman said the IWWG was not seeking Ballantine's removal.

Rocco could not be reached for comment.

Last February, prior to the launch of the IWWG, Bondi announced a DOJ Weaponization Working Group, tasking it with “the pursuit of improper investigative tactics and unethical prosecutions relating to the events at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 — as distinct from good-faith actions by federal employees simply following orders from superiors.”

Edward R. Martin Jr., a prominent rightwing activist, was named by Trump to lead the DOJ group, after his nomination for U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia failed to win Senate approval. Martin also heads the DOJ office for pardon requests.

Jared Wise, a former FBI agent who was in the middle of a trial for assaulting law enforcement and other charges related to Jan. 6 when he received a Trump pardon, is also among DOJ officials in the IWWG, according to Reuters.

Watching other rioters at the Capitol push against a police line, Wise reportedly yelled: “Kill ’em! Kill ’em!”

‘The fate of your position’

Raiklin has called for “live-streamed swatting raids” against individuals on a “Deep State Target List” and elicited direct calls for violence. On Dec. 30, he posted to X a video of himself tailing Ballantine and shouting questions.

“Do you find it surprising that you still have a job at the Department of Justice?” Raiklin shouted.

“Do you think you survived because Ed Martin ended up going to the Department of Justice Main, as opposed to being the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia?

“Do you have any involvement in that?”

Raiklin suggested Ballantine intervened to derail the Senate vote to approve Martin’s nomination, so Martin would not be able “to expose [her] involvement in covering up for the fed-surrection.”

“I’d be very shocked to hear that you’re going to continue to work at the Department of Justice after this goes and posts,” Raiklin said. “So, I guess all I can say is belated Merry Christmas, happy holidays, Happy New Year, and we’ll see about the fate of your position at the Department of Justice.”

The @Krow121812 account linked to Rocco reposted a post by YouTuber David Freiheit, sharing Raiklin’s post.

Raw Story asked the DOJ for comment from Martin on whether he is seeking Ballantine’s dismissal, and from Bondi on whether she is considering such a move. The request went unreturned.

Ballantine is leading the prosecution of the alleged Jan. 6 pipe bomber, apprehended last month. Bondi and FBI leaders have cast the failure to make an arrest before Trump’s return to office as a blight on the Biden administration.

“Today’s arrest happened because the Trump administration has made this case a priority,” Bondi said in early December, announcing the arrest of Brian Cole Jr.

“The total lack of movement on this case in our nation’s Capitol undermined the public trust of our enforcement agencies.”

However, the case has alienated some Trump supporters, thanks to the suspect’s statement that he believed Trump’s lies about the 2020 election. In essence, the pro-Trump narrative holds that the pipe bomb plot was a key component of a conspiracy by the FBI and Democrats to orchestrate the Jan. 6 riot, to make Trump and his supporters look bad, thereby derailing attempts to block certification of election results.

Rocco is among those who have expressed scorn towards the DOJ and FBI for the handling of the case.

Responding to an appearance by then-FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino on Fox News, @Krow121812 posted: “This is a big fat slap in the face.

“I really can’t believe after the years we’ve been through that so many people can’t see this for what it is. You’re a disappointment @dbongino. Looks like discernment should be top of people’s Christmas wish list because y’all don’t have it. Disgraceful.”

'Riddle me this, Batman'

Raiklin and Rocco have worked together since at least early 2024. They were among signatories to a Declaration of Military Accountability issued in January 2024, pledging to “seek appointments to executive branch offices” and court-martial Biden-era leaders who implemented COVID-19 mandates.

That month, Raiklin and Rocco appeared on a podcast hosted by Joe Oltmann, a prominent election denier held in contempt of court for refusing to cooperate in a defamation lawsuit related to his baseless claim that Dominion Voting Systems colluded with “antifa organizers” to throw the 2020 election to Biden.

At least one official targeted by Raiklin and Rocco has been shown the door.

Appearing on Roseanne Barr’s podcast in October 2024, Raiklin took aim at Dr. Terry Adirim, principal advisor for health protection policies to Biden's Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin. Adirim recommended that all military service members receive COVID vaccines. Raiklin accused her of “genocide and mass mutilation.”

On Dec. 16 2024, Adirim started a new job, leading the CIA’s Center for Global Health Services.

Six days later, the @Krow121812 account posted: “Riddle me this, Batman. How does a person — Terry Adirim — who was responsible for the mass confusion and deception imposed on service members, resulting in 8,700 unlawfully forced out and another 90,000 disenfranchised, get selected to fill a [senior executive service] position in our [United States Government]?”

Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testify in the Senate. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Raiklin shared the post, tagging CIA Director John Ratcliffe and adding: “Is the architect of the illegal DOD CCP-19 Jab Genocide Mandate Terry Adirim burrowing in at the CIA?”

The post appears to have been taken down, but an archived copy of Raiklin’s post was an exhibit in a federal lawsuit filed by Adirim. At the time of publication, the original post by @Krow121812 was still available.

A post on Rocco's LinkedIn page included the same wording as the X thread. The LinkedIn post and X thread included identical screengrabs of Adirim’s LinkedIn post announcing a new position “as senior executive at US Federal Government” and a photocopy of a Defense Department memorandum signed by Adirim.

Adirim was fired last April. She filed a lawsuit against the CIA and Ratcliffe, alleging breach of contract and violation of due process and privacy rights. The lawsuit accuses Raiklin of defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Adirim is seeking permission from a federal judge to add Rocco, Gabbard, ODNI and the IWWG as defendants.

The proposed amended complaint, filed in federal court on Oct. 24, accuses the CIA of leaking Adirim’s firing to the right-wing Breitbart News, “at the behest of” Rocco and the IWWG.

Coleman, the ODNI spokesperson, told Raw Story neither Rocco nor the IWWG had any involvement in Adirim’s firing or leaking her information.

'Was someone hiding them?' Ex-GOP insider puts Pam Bondi on spot for Epstein contradiction

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was put on the spot on Sunday by a former Republican lawmaker who suggested a recent Epstein revelation showed her to be a liar.

In a Christmas Eve post on X, the DOJ said that the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI located more than a million new Epstein documents.

"[T]hey have uncovered over a million more documents potentially related to the Jeffrey Epstein case," the department claimed. "The DOJ has received these documents from SDNY and the FBI to review them for release, in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, existing statutes, and judicial orders."

Adam Kinzinger over the weekend took to social media to raise a question in light of the DOJ saying it was newly made aware of the million more Epstein documents.

Writing on X, he said, "So in spring, [Bondi] said there was nothing to the Epstein investigation, then 'closed' it. Now, they 'find' 1 million more docs."

"So did she close this without seeing these docs?" he then asked. "Or was someone hiding them?"

Trump just took this giant step towards authoritarian rule — and the media ignored it

The Trump FBI is drawing up an enemies list that could encompass well over half the US public: Do you “advance … opposition to law and immigration enforcement”? Do you have “extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders”? Show an “adherence to radical gender ideology,” meaning you think trans people exist? Do you exhibit (what the Trump administration would interpret as) “anti-Americanism,” “anti-capitalism,” or “anti-Christianity”? Do you display “hostility towards traditional views on family, religion, and morality”?

Congratulations — you may be headed for Attorney General Pam Bondi’s “list of groups or entities engaging in acts that may constitute domestic terrorism.”

“Terrorism,” of course, is the magic word that strips you of all sorts of legal protections, especially in the post-9/11 era.

This is from a Justice Department memo obtained by independent journalist Ken Klippenstein (12/6/25) — which goes on to instruct the FBI to set up “a cash reward system” for people who turn in those promoting such thoughtcrime, and “establish cooperators to provide information and eventually testify against other members” of groups with these dangerous ideas.

This is the implementation of the Trump administration’s avowed policy of criminalizing dissent — in the words of the NSPM-7 decree, outlawing “organized campaigns of … radicalization … designed to … change or direct policy outcomes” (FAIR.org, 10/3/25; CounterSpin, 10/17/25) — and as such is another giant step towards authoritarianism. Establishment media didn’t see it that way, however.

As Klippenstein (12/9/25) pointed out, virtually no corporate media outlets covered this catastrophic memo, and those who did report on it did a generally poor job.

The Guardian headline (12/5/25) was “Pam Bondi Tells Law Enforcement Agencies to Investigate Antifa Groups for ‘Tax Crimes,’” and Bloomberg Law (12/5/25) had “Bondi Orders FBI Extremism Intelligence Review with Antifa Focus” — completely misleading framing that suggests that if you’re not “Antifa,” the memo isn’t about you.

Here’s Reuters’ entirely unhelpful “summary” (12/4/25):

Bondi orders FBI to prioritize domestic terrorism investigations
Memo targets antifa and similar groups
FBI to develop strategies to disrupt criminal networks
DOJ calls for prosecuting extremist groups for tax crimes

The DOJ is issuing marching orders for a witch hunt, and Reuters presents it with a straight face as an effort to go after “domestic terrorism,” “criminal networks,” and “extremist groups” who commit “tax crimes.” Who could object to that?

Among corporate media outlets, only The Hill (12/5/25), a specialty outlet aimed at congressional staffers and lobbyists, conveyed the enormity of the directive. Its second paragraph read:

Bondi’s memo could be the starting point for charges against a number of left-leaning advocacy groups and nonprofits the Trump administration has accused without evidence of having ties to extremists.

The Hill‘s Rebecca Beitsch quoted Andrew Bataj of the group Whistleblower Aid: “This memo expressly seeks to redefine political dissent against the president as domestic terrorism.”

But beyond that, to get actual coverage of the threat DOJ is posing to civil liberties and democracy itself, you had to go to independent outlets like Democracy Now! (12/8/25) and the Lever (12/8/25). The counterrevolution will not be televised.

Jim Naureckas is editor of FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting). He is the co-author of "Way Things Aren't: Rush Limbaugh's Reign of Error." He was an investigative reporter for In These Times and managing editor of the Washington Report on the Hemisphere.

'The ham sandwich wins': Trump admin shamed over another failure to indict Trump foe

Amused observers weighed in Thursday after President Donald Trump's Justice Department failed again to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James and suffered yet another embarrassing attempt.

A grand jury in Virginia refused to return a fraud indictment against James — who Trump has called an enemy — the second time this has happened since the original case against her was thrown out.

Social media observers applauded the news.

"Good!" former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega wrote on X.

"Man @realDonaldTrump is 0-4 against @TishJames. That's a series Sweep!" Comedia Hal for NY wrote on X.

"Again! The ham sandwich wins," Attorney and legal analyst Jeffrey Evan Gold wrote on X.

"Bondi has just failed for the 2nd time in a week to re-indict Leticia (sic) James. We have never had such feckless, incompetent, partisan AG in US history," Rutgers professor James Tepper wrote on X.

"Third time will be a charm," journalist Sam Stein mocked on X.

"The GJ are waking up. Good luck getting indictments. Let's move on to Comey that won't bode well either," attorney and former judge Tracey Gallagher wrote on X.

"Trump’s got nothing on her. His only performing for the bloodthirsty and cruelty aroused MAGA cult. AG James is winning because she’s innocent," veteran and banker Evaristus Odinikaeze wrote on X.

'Jaw dropping': Legal expert says Trump pick's bold move is daring judges to take action

A legal expert said Wednesday that interim U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan — despite calls for her to resign — has continued her role.

Legal expert Lisa Rubin told MS NOW's Ana Cabrera that Halligan has not left her position while pressure mounts for her to step down.

"Lindsey Halligan is still in her job and she is signing, or rather, lying," Rubin said. "Prosecutors are signing criminal filings in the Eastern District of Virginia in her name, which is typical."

Those filings have still said Lindsey Halligan, U.S. attorney and special attorney, but it's not the same label Attorney General Pam Bondi gave her in late October, Rubin explained.

"When asked to justify this, the Justice Department has said that its office of legal counsel gave it an opinion that — and wait for this — because it's kind of jaw-dropping, because Judge Cameron Curry and both of her orders in the [James] Comey and [Letitia] James case did not expressly say Lindsey Halligan needed to be removed, then it is totally fine for Lindsey Halligan to continue in her role as interim U.S. attorney, notwithstanding the fact that Judge Curry ruled that her appointment in that capacity was entirely illegitimate and unlawful," Rubin said.

Rubin described what the bold move could mean.

"So it's almost as if she is daring the Judges of the Eastern District of Virginia to take up their own prerogative under the statute and appoint someone of their own choosing that would force a fight, though Anna, between the judges of the district and the person that they choose on the one hand, and the Department of justice, which is still aligning itself with Lindsay Halligan on the other," Rubin added. "And that's why you have situations like The New York Times reported on yesterday, with Senior Judge Leonie Brinkema saying the right result here is just for Halligan to resign."

Suspect in 2021 planting of DC pipe bombs named by FBI

Federal authorities on Thursday named the Virginia man arrested on allegations of planting pipe bombs outside Republican and Democratic party headquarters in Washington, D.C., in 2021.

Brian Cole Jr., of Woodbridge, was identified as the suspect, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi. He was taken into custody in Woodbridge early Thursday.

The bombs were placed outside the Republican and Democratic national party headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021, just hours before the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

"America should feel safer today," Bondi said, describing how authorities have reexamined the evidence in the five years since the attack.

"This investigation is ongoing," Bondi said. "As we speak, search warrants are being executed, and there could be more charges to come."

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino criticized the Biden administration and said that the FBI had focused on it.

"You're not going to walk into our capital city down to explosive devices and walk off in the sunset," Bongino said. "Not going to happen — we were going to track this person to the end of the earth. There was no way he was getting away."

We must wake from this fawning nightmare even if Trump cannot

Perhaps you’ve seen the scene in Pyongyang when North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un convenes his cabinet of sycophants.

The generals and ministers rise as one, their faces frozen in practiced reverence, eyes locked on their Supreme Leader. No one dares look away. No one fidgets.

The ritualized praise flows like liturgy — each man competing to prove his loyalty, his devotion, his willingness to suspend all independent thought in service of the Dear Leader’s infallibility. Blink at the wrong moment, and you risk death.

We seem to be getting there.

Trump convened another one of his grotesque Cabinet-on-camera meetings Tuesday — produced by the master of Detached-From-Reality TV — and this one was quite a bit like the last one on Aug. 26. Except that jarred a fair amount of sensibilities in the chattering class. Now we seem to be used to it.

No need to dwell on the media angle. That ship has sailed.

But in case you missed it, behold the sweet sounds of sycophancy with which members of the Cabinet of the United States government abandoned their souls, in service of the leader of the band.

Lee Zeldin, EPA Administrator:
“If you were to ask me what I’m grateful for, whether it’s a Thanksgiving, it’s a Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, any time of year the fact that this president, after four years serving in office, he could have just left it in the rear-view mirror and went on to really enjoy retirement. But he is willing to take a bullet for all of you tuning in at home because he believes in this flag, our freedom, our liberties and to save the greatest country in the history of the world. So, I’m grateful this holiday season for you, Mr. President, you’re willing to take a bullet for all of us and by all of us it’s the American public.”

Actually, no one asked you, Lee. But plenty of folks would rather take a bullet than listen to more of that.

Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security:
“You’ve saved hundreds of millions of lives with the cocaine you’ve blown up in the Caribbean.”

Now, there was plenty of other sycophancy from Noem, who served the 2.2 billion residents of South Dakota as their governor. But I’m sorry, creature, did you say Trump saved “hundreds of millions of lives” blowing up cocaine in the Caribbean? I thought you did.

Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce:
"A year ago today I was working on transition with President Trump, right, to build the greatest cabinet ever for the greatest president ever. And I, as I sit here today, I can’t be more proud of how you did it, sir. You’ve created the greatest cabinet. It is a joy to be at this table.”

I’m sorry, sir. That's debatable at best.

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Secretary of Labor:
“You made the American people realize the American dream is real for the American workforce. And it’s been under your leadership, Mr. President, that over 2 million jobs that have been created since you started have been native born workers. And that is the difference between this presidency, this administration as opposed to the Biden administration where mostly foreign born or federal government jobs.”

Chavez-DeRemer is the one dreaming. The claims about Trump rely upon taking raw data out of context without seasonal adjustments. The Biden stuff is a full-out lie: Native-born workers gained about 7.5 million jobs versus 6.5 million for foreign-born — during his four years. That is what once was called a “fact.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi:
”It’s unbelievable, on the ground in DC and Memphis…we have a 100 percent increase in the arrest of violent criminals, thanks to your leadership.”

That would be impressive were it not for the fact that no publicly available dataset even exists for tracking “violent criminal arrests” in D.C. or Memphis that could serve as a baseline for what Bondi is inventing here. Give them credit for chutzpah: This one’s just made up out of thin air.

Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior:
Mr. President, you’ve assembled an incredibly talented group here. If you took a look at this group compared to any Fortune 500 leadership team, any group of startup folks, I mean, this is an amazing group and the breadth of what’s being accomplished and the timing couldn’t be better because, with your leadership and vision, you’ve set us up for this age of abundance as we head into next year, the 250th anniversary of this country….the White House has never looked better, all because of your vision and leadership. So, again, thank you, sir. You’ve given an incredible Christmas gift to Americans by setting us up for an incredible 250th anniversary.

Doug, thanks for not finishing that part about the Fortune 500 companies.

Scott Turner, HUD Secretary:
“When you were giving your report, which was fantastic, and I listened to the report of all my colleagues here and those that will come, it reminds me when I played in the NFL, we had this thing called game film, you know all about film, and we had a saying that said the film don’t lie. The film tells the real story. And I hope that the American people when they watch the film that’s going on now in this time in our history, that they will see that America is greater today than it ever has been. And so, I thank you for that. And thank you for giving us good stories that we can tell for the American people.”

Thanks, Scott, for the newest slogan of the Trump Administration: “Film don’t lie. We do.” And for proving that covering NFL wide receivers — which you did so well — doesn’t mean you won’t fumble enforcement of the nation’s fair housing laws. Which you have.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins:
These jobs are hard, but the joy every day in getting to fight for America and save the country is the privilege of all of our lifetimes, I believe. So, thank you for that. At the US Department of Agriculture, the people’s department — Abraham Lincoln launched this department in 1862. But under your leadership we have finally again put farmers and ranchers and rural America first.

Finally, an Abe Lincoln reference. But apparently, Ms. Rollins statement was cut off. The full sentence should have read, “Under your leadership we have finally again put farmers and ranchers and rural America first in bankruptcy court, in climate-fueled disaster zones, and in the crosshairs of every trade war you lost.” Just editing.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent:
“We’re going to see real wage increases. I think next year is going to be a fantastic year, taxes, deregulation, energy certainty. That’s why everyone, with your leadership, is coming to America.”

Everyone? Really? Not if they read this transcript from the cabinet meeting.

The fawning references to “your leadership” from Bondi, Rollins and Bessent were just three of 19 served up Tuesday to Trump. Noem and SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler led the way with four apiece, followed by three from Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

No mentions of Jeffrey Epstein.

Oh well, who’s counting? Trump, perhaps, but not Tuesday. It seems that the lead story coming out of the cabinet meeting was that Sleepy Don kept dozing off.

But it’s the rest of us who need to wake up to the soul-selling around the president.

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Pam Bondi hit with urgent sit-down demand over Epstein files

Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday called on Attorney General Pam Bondi for an urgent sit-down over unreleased information related to Jeffrey Epstein's files.

A letter sent to the attorney general on Wednesday told Bondi she had until Friday to give "new information" that the administration cited as the reason for a new investigation on the late financier and convicted sex offender, and "could hinder the full release of the files," The Daily Beast reported.

Democrats Ro Khanna, Ben Ray Lujan and Jeff Merkley joined with Republicans Thomas Massie and Lisa Murkowski to demand she respond to her previous statements and give a status update from Nov. 19, after she said "new" and "additional" information had surfaced to prompt a latest look into Epstein and the people connected to him, NBC News reported.

“In the interest of transparency and clarity on the steps required to faithfully implement the Epstein Files Transparency Act, we request a briefing either in a classified or unclassified setting, to discuss the full contents of this new information in your possession at your convenience, but not later than Friday, December 5th, 2025,” according to the letter.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act requires the Justice Department to release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” about Epstein by Dec. 19.

“In light of the short 30 day deadline to release the Epstein Files, we are particularly focused on understanding the contents of any new evidence, information or procedural hurdles that could interfere with the Department’s ability to meet this statutory deadline,” the lawmakers said in the letter.

Last week, Bloomberg reported that FBI Director Kash Patel had instructed about 1,000 special agents to oversee redactions to the documents. Critics suspect the documents could have embarrassing information about President Donald Trump's ties to the convicted pedophile and reveal more information about their relationship.

The reason for these Trump failures would be funny — if it weren't so alarming

Kak·i·sto·cra·cy- (kakə̇ˈstäkrəsē): a government by the least suitable or competent citizens of a state

A kakistocracy is a system of government where the most unfit, incompetent, and unscrupulous individuals are in power. Such a system does not reflect rational decision-making. Instead, Trump’s kakistocracy is emerging as the consequence of systemic failures (by Donald Trump’s design), corruption (ditto), and societal dynamics (manipulated, but not wholly created, by Trump).

Malevolence may also be a factor. Outside his naked lust for power, profit, and retribution, Trump has shown little interest in governing. After DOGE trashed most federal services, the only departments left fully operational are Trump’s well-funded instruments of power and control: ICE/DHS, FBI, DOJ, DOD, Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the US military.

But as Trump seeks to grossly expand his reach through these entities, it is gratifying to watch his hand get slapped back, largely due to his and his administration’s incompetence, by federal courts insisting on the rule of law.

Sheer incompetence led to the dismissal of Trump’s pet prosecutions

On Monday, Judge Cameron McGowan Currie threw out Trump’s cases of political retribution against James Comey and Letitia James, after a parade of incompetence.

The cases were dismissed without prejudice when Currie ruled that Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was acting without authority when she obtained the Comey and James indictments. This slap came not for Halligan’s career-ending errors, like failing to present the complete indictment to the complete grand jury, misstating the law to jurors, or for doing Trump’s illegal partisan bidding, but because her appointment as the interim U.S. Attorney was unlawful under both federal law and the US Constitution.

The arcana of judicial appointment procedure may seem boring, even inconsequential, but what Trump tried to do with Halligan demonstrates that it is anything but. Judicial appointments are governed by the article II of the Constitution, and 28 U.S.C. § 546. Under these authorities, a president gets to appoint interim U.S. attorneys for a 120-day appointment. When that 120-day period runs out, the authority to fill the position then shifts to the federal judiciary, not the president acting through his Attorney General.

That shift is enormously consequential. It was designed to block rogue actors from appointing one interim US attorney after another, running through a roster of unethical lawyers willing to break the law by pursuing cases based on politics rather than law.

That is exactly what happened with Halligan.

Trump tried to install a revolving door of lawless sycophants

Judge Currie held that the initial 120-day appointment clock began in January with Trump’s appointment of Erik Siebert, the previous interim U.S. Attorney. Seibert’s 120-day interim period expired on May 21 but the district court judges, following federal law, reappointed him to serve until the vacancy was filled. Trump then nominated him for the full-term position, so he continued to serve.

However, in September, Siebert refused Trump’s request that he pursue criminal charges against Trump’s political enemies, Comey and James. Trump loyalists claimed James falsified property records to receive better loan terms, and that Comey made a false statement to Congress, despite the lack of evidence. Seibert spent five months investigating but ultimately determined there was not enough evidence to proceed with either case. (When Fair Housing officials agreed in internal memos that James committed no crime, they were dismissed.)

Because Seibert refused to pursue unethical and unsupported indictments, Trump wanted to fire him, but Seibert beat him to the punch and resigned. At that point, AG Pam Bondi backdoor-installed Halligan as Seibert’s replacement, but that decision was up to the courts, not Trump. Because Halligan was not legally appointed to serve as interim US attorney, the court ruled that she had no authority to pursue the Comey and James indictments and threw them out.

Trump’s legal clowns keep dropping balls they shouldn’t be juggling

When Seibert said no, he wouldn’t risk his law license to pursue Trump’s wet dream prosecutions unsupported by law, he wrote a “declination memo,” a standard memo outlining the reasons why. That memo featured prominently in a related hearing that revealed yet another lawless DOJ move.

DOJ counsel refused to answer another judge's simple “yes or no” question about whether Seibert wrote such a memo. When Judge Michael Nachmanoff got irritated by the DOJ lawyer’s cagey responses, he pressed until the lawyer finally admitted the reason for his reticence: Because Todd Blanche, Trump’s Deputy Attorney General, instructed him not to admit the declination memo existed.

Federal trial attorneys know that lying by omission to a federal judge, or a lack of candor in response to any judge’s inquiry, if proved, is grounds for disbarment. I’ll go out on a limb here and predict that many of Trump’s DOJ lawyers will find alternative careers when Trump leaves office.

In the meantime, these dismissals are gratifying because they prove that evil intent can be thwarted — trumped, if you will, by vast incompetence.

As a 30-year litigator, I know it is unseemly — unprofessional, even — to enjoy seeing a strident lawyer with more confidence than competence get her comeuppance for acting unethically.

But in this space, I’m a political writer suddenly laughing at the realization that authoritarianism can’t prevail here because it requires competence. It’s funny as hell and the schadenfreude is delicious.

Sabrina Haake is a columnist and 25+ year federal trial attorney specializing in 1st and 14th A defense. Her Substack, The Haake Take, is free.