Prosecutor deals BAD NEWS for Bondi after firing

You're watching the Legal Breakdown, Glenn. The major news today is that Pam. Bondi was just fired by Donald Trump, which raises the obvious question here. Pam Bondi knows where all the skeletons. are buried as far as the Epstein files. are concerned, all the rest of Donald. Trump's abuses of the Department of. Justice, which of course Pam Bondi was a. willing participant in executing. But, given the fact that she knows where all. of those skeletons are buried, how much. of a problem could she pose as, you. know, a disgruntled former employee of. this administration?

You know, Brian, if she were to become. an open book all of a sudden and. actually care about the rule of law, care about our constitutional rights, care about the health of American. democracy, she could create real. problems for Donald Trump. Do I expect. her to become any of those things or. motivated by any of those concerns? Not. in a million years. So, she will. probably go off into the private sector. She will, you know, sell her services or.

lack thereof to the highest bidder and, you know, then she'll probably try to do. favors for those clients to get them. government contracts, to exploit her. access to government officials. But, the. last thing I would bet my one buck, my. maximum bet on, is that all of a sudden. she's going to say or do anything that. would actually, you know, move the. democracy ball forward. It's worth. asking here because, you know, there is. still the question, the lingering. question of whether she's going to show.

up for her April 14th um sworn. deposition for the House Oversight. Committee. There is some concern that. James Comer and the Republicans on the. Oversight Committee will say, "Oh, look, now that she's no longer in her. position, we don't think that it's. necessary that she come because, you. know, it's it's onwards and upwards. We. have to focus on who's actually at the. Department of Justice." Meanwhile, you've got Robert Garcia and the the. Democrats on the House Oversight. Committee who've already made it clear. that her um her subpoena was lawfully.

issued, that it still stands, that it. was for her, not the office of the. Attorney General. And so, what is your. position here on the validity of this. existing subpoena and whether she'll. have to come and testify? Yeah, so I guess three thoughts on that, Brian. One, of course I expect James. Comer to try to find a way to release. her from her obligation to testify. Two, there are actually I am no expert on the. rules of the House, but there are some. procedural hurdles to actually.

withdrawing that subpoena. But, assuming. that they will, you know, ignore their. own rules and try to find a way to. withdraw the subpoena. Three, I think it. may await her appearance may have to. await the Dems taking control in the. House after the midterms. And then, you. know, accountability is on. Then you're. going to see, I believe, lots and lots. of subpoenas dragging these people in. and wearing them out on virtually. cross-examination,

putting hard questions to them. And, you. know, one of the fringe benefits, Brian, of having a house in the hands of the. Democrats and actually having oversight. hearings um is, you know, these people. will not be able to stop lying. They've. been lying to the American people ever. since Donald Trump, you know, retook. control of the government. And if. they're hauled before Congress and they. lie and they lie and they lie, every. time they lie, it is a false statement.

in violation of federal law that carries. up to 5 years in prison. So, it may be. that part of what the Democrats will. accomplish once they take control of the. House is just letting these people rack. up the crimes to be addressed once we. have a law-abiding president and a. law-allegiant attorney general heading. up the Department of Justice. And the. one thing that we can't do is turn a. blind eye, turn the other cheek, say. let's just put it behind us and forget.

about it because all that will do is. guarantee you're going to have a new. batch of democracy-busting. wrongdoers, you know, come into power in. the future. Without accountability, you. know, good government is not possible. >> Talk about the statute of limitations. for Pam Bondi's violations or crimes. And I include in that when she spoke. with Ted Lieu, for example, during a. congressional testimony, uh she had lied. to Ted Lieu in real time called her out. in real time for lying. Uh she had come.

out and said that Donald Trump that. there was no evidence of Donald Trump. committing any crimes contained within. the Epstein files. And we know that. there is evidence. Uh credibility. notwithstanding, that evidence does. exist within the Epstein files. And so, um talk a little bit about that statute. of limitations and what it would mean um. in terms of being able to continue. holding her accountable in the future. even after uh Trump no longer has. control of the DOJ. Yeah, Brian, the example you just. pointed out is the perfect example. because if you make a false statement to.

Congress, it is a 5-year statute of. limitations. So, when she lied to. Representative Lieu, and that was. inarguably a lie. And the reason I say. inarguably is because she didn't even. try to qualify her answer with, "Well, there's no credible evidence." That. would have given her an escape hatch. from the false statements charge. But, she didn't say that. She said there is. no credible evidence. >> you expect? She's only the Attorney. General of the United States. How could. you really expect her to to to be that. well prepared?

Law is not her strong suit, apparently. >> is which is a a problem when you're the. top law enforcement official in America. But, go on. >> Should be the least to expect in yeah, the the top prosecutor. But, so that. will be, you know, I I don't want to say. a sure winner when and if she's indicted. and charged with false statements to. Congress, but it will be a very strong. case on the evidence and it will survive. well into 2029. That's what's most important because as. long as the Department of Justice gets.

off the accountability dime promptly, doesn't dither around like a a certain. former attorney general that we both. know, then we're going to be good on the. accountability front. But, here's the. other thing, Brian. It looks like to. this old career prosecutor that she's. also involved in a conspiracy to cover. up what's in the Epstein files. It looks. like she might also be acting as an. accessory after the fact to the people. who are implicated, incriminated in the.

Epstein files and she won't investigate. it. And they're still withholding some 3. million files in violation of federal. law. They've been violating the federal. law ever since December 19th, which was. the deadline to release it all. So, the. good news is those statute of. limitations haven't even begun to run. yet. And they don't run when you're. involved in some kind of a conspiracy. until the very last conspiratorial act. has been committed and completed. So,

we're going to have plenty of time to. get after Pam Bondi. Glenn, you. mentioned Merrick Garland. How is the. Merrick Garland DOJ instructive in terms. of what Democrats should do next when. they retake control of power as it. relates to the Pam Bondis of the world? Brian, I hope we've learned our lesson. on the accountability front. You know, we are wanting to put this long national. nightmare behind us, me as much as. anybody else because, you know, th- th-. this is a pretty exhausting fighting for. the rule of law, the Constitution, and.

democracy every damn day. But, I I hope. the lesson that we learned from Merrick. Garland's dithering for literally years. until he finally got around to. appointing Jack Smith, and that was too. little, too late. I I hope that um the. Dems will recognize they have to go. hard, aggressively, apolitically, but. 100 miles an hour in the direction of. accountability from day one. Because, you know, you you can't just sleep on. democracy. We've seen what Trump and. company are doing. The challenge is.

cataloging all their crimes. But, you. know, there are some working groups that. are being put together to make sure we. can address that on day one. But, but. let me also say, Brian, it's hard to. envision a less ethical attorney general. than Pam Bondi. I don't know why Donald. Trump would get rid of her when she came. in on day one with an enemies list. It. was literally Donald Trump's enemies. list and she said, "I'm going to go. after these people." That was her. signaling uh uh.

a willingness, indeed an intent, to. weaponize and corrupt the Department of. Justice for Donald Trump's purposes. She. turned a blind eye to all of the crimes. committed by ICE agents and CBP agents, crimes up to and including murder of. American citizens like Renee Good and. Alex Pretty. She's doing nothing other. than interfering with the state of. Minnesota's ability to, you know, investigate and prosecute those crimes, which also violated Minnesota state law.

She prosecuted Donald Trump's perceived. enemies on command. Donald Trump. actually posted something, "Hey, Pam, you got to get after," I'm paraphrasing, "James Comey and Letitia James." And lo. and behold, she brought charges against. them though they had committed no crime. She then went a step further and tried. to indict the innocent, Senator Mark. Kelly and five other members of Congress. who simply accurately recited military. law that military members must disobey.

unlawful orders. She issued unlawful. subpoenas to try to harass Jerome Powell. because he wouldn't bend to Donald. Trump's will and lower interest rates, you know, instead he was guided by. economic data. But, I mean, it goes on. and on and it kind of culminates or. maybe the overarching umbrella is the. Epstein files where, you know, she. refuses to investigate any of the. wrongdoing in the Epstein files, including wrongdoing by Donald Trump,

when countries around the world are not. only investigating, but they're issuing. search warrants. They're making arrests, including of powerful, you know, and. prominent people like former Prince. Andrew and the former UK ambassador to. the US, Peter Mandelson. And you know, just to this is one that really that. really bothers me deeply. Pam Bondi has. killed the ethical guidelines and the. ethical guardrails for DOJ attorneys.

And now she's trying to kill the state's. ability to conduct ethics investigations. over the attorneys who work for DOJ but. hold state bar law licenses. I mean, how. could you want a less ethical attorney. general than Pam Bondi? So, I got to. tell you, Brian, this one may end up. being a miscalculation unless I don't. know, maybe Donald Trump is going to. pull Matt Gaetz out of mothballs and try. to make him the attorney general again.

Yeah, I I I completely agree with that. And that that's been the hard part to. wrap my head around is because. Trump's unhappiness with how Pam Bondi. is perceived, at least publicly, is a. reflection of Pam Bondi executing. Trump's priorities. And so, if Trump is. upset with that, he has himself to. blame. Pam Bondi is not some, you know, independent actor at the DOJ. She's an. appendage of Trump. She is his vehicle. to do exactly what it is he wants to do. There are entire portions of the. Department of Justice that have been. decimated because Trump wanted it. There.

have been political enemies of Trump. that have been prosecuted or who they. attempted to prosecute because Trump. wanted it. The Epstein files are being. suppressed because Trump wanted it. And. so, the notion that that Trump can look. at Pam Bondi doing his bidding and feel. the public pressure against her and not. recognize that it's owed entirely to him. is just is you know, kind of blows my mind. And we've seen. this before, by the way. Ronna McDaniel. was forced to resign her position as RNC. chair because Donald Trump needed some.

scapegoat uh when Republicans were. losing all of their uh elections and and. they were obviously running, you know, under this MAGA banner and people were. refusing to vote for these people vote. for these clowns. And Trump didn't want. to take responsibility. So, of course, the responsibility fell on Ronna. McDaniel for running the RNC in exact. accordance with Donald Trump's wishes. And so, he has a long pattern, a clear. history of these people doing his. bidding, the public turns against them,

or you know, the or elections turn. against them, whatever it may be, and. then Donald Trump doesn't have enough. sense to recognize that the public. sentiment is against him. And so, he. throws those people under the bus to. protect himself. Brian, and it's kind of. ironic that some of the reporting. indicates Donald Trump got rid of Pam. Bondi because she wasn't aggressively. enough pursuing and prosecuting his. perceived enemies. Here's the thing. She. did that more aggressively than the law.

allows trying to prosecute the innocent. or send, you know, beauty pageant. contest contestant Lindsey Halligan into. grand juries where she was not lawfully. entitled to be to walk out with bogus, you know, baseless indictments. She went. a thousand miles an hour trying to. misuse the power of DOJ to prosecute. Donald Trump's perceived enemies. So, it. really wasn't a shortcoming. on her part. It was the fact that we.

have at least one coequal branch of. government that is still standing up for. the rule of law and performing its check. and balance functions against a corrupt, runaway, abusive executive branch, and. that is the judiciary. That is why Pam. Bondi failed, not because she wasn't. putting enough unethical effort in to. doing what Donald Trump wanted her to. do. But who gets introduced to the. undercarriage of the bus anyway? Pam.

Bondi. Yeah, well, look, we will of. course stay on top of who fills her role. as well as any other legal breaking. news. So, for those who are watching, if. you'd like to follow along and support. our work, the best way to do that, 100%. free, is to subscribe to both of our. channels. I'm going to put those two. links right here on the screen. So, if. you're not yet subscribed, please take a. moment, hit the subscribe button, and. and we will of course bring you more. legal breaking news as soon as we have. it. I'm Brian Tyler Cohen. And I'm Glenn. Kirschner. You're watching the legal. breakdown.