I have never met Pam Bondi, but everyone I know who has worked with her thinks the world of her. “You couldn’t meet a more delightful person,” is how one friend recently summed up his experience with Bondi.
So I was sad to see her fired as Attorney General, despite having achieved notable successes in her short time in that role. President Trump praised her as he let her go, and Bondi reciprocated the kindness. Why, then, did Trump fire her?
Some have speculated that it related to the Epstein saga, which Bondi admittedly fumbled early on. But Trump correctly regards the Epstein story as an insignificant distraction from his administration’s priorities, and I don’t think that is likely to be the reason.
I think the cause is more significant. On X, whenever I see posts relating to AG Bondi, the comments are full of conservatives complaining that we haven’t yet seen Democrats in handcuffs. Until Democrats are in prison, the commenters say, nothing has been accomplished.
I suspect it was this sentiment that got Bondi fired: she hasn’t prioritized criminal charges against the Democrats who betrayed the trust of the American people and, in particular, made war on the first Trump administration. Given the fact that the Democrats hamstrung his first administration with Russia collusion lies, twice tried to imprison him, did their best to illegally keep him off the ballot, and ultimately got him shot, it would not be surprising if the president would like to see such charges brought.
In general, I do not share the belief that criminal charges against Democrats are a good idea. Former CIA Director John Brennan is the most likely target of such charges. He clearly committed perjury in 2017, but the statute of limitations has run on any potential charge relating to that testimony. As I wrote here, there is a strong claim that Brennan repeated his false statements in 2023, in which case prosecution is again possible. In fact, Brennan is currently under criminal investigation. I wrote about the status of that investigation, which is taking place in Florida, here.
John Brennan, James Comey and other Democrats deserve the strongest condemnation for their betrayal of the public trust. Perhaps they deserve to go to prison. But they will never be convicted by a Washington, D.C., jury, regardless of the evidence. And whether venue is proper anywhere else is questionable. I think it would be a mistake for President Trump to stake the credibility of his administration on a determined effort to prosecute Democrats, however richly they may deserve it. There is a good likelihood that such attempts will fail, which would in turn be trumpeted as vindication of some of the worst scoundrels in American history.
So I think Trump would be best served by moving on from his anger over the Russian Collusion Hoax and other outrages perpetrated against him by the Democrats. But Trump is a counterpuncher, and his instinct may not be to let the Democrats get away with what were likely, in some cases, crimes. I hope I am wrong, but I suspect that Pam Bondi’s firing reflects Trump’s desire for an aggressive effort to prosecute leading Democrats.
Once we have a new Attorney General, it shouldn’t be long before we find out whether that speculation is correct.
