IHIP News: Pam Bondi IN HIDING As She NO-SHOWS Epstein Hearings and Dems FIGHT BACK!

All right, joining us today on I hit. news is Congresswoman Summer Lee. She is. a dedicated legislator, attorney, and. organizer who has proudly represented. Pennsylvania's 12th congressional. district since 2022 and is the first. black woman ever elected to Congress. from Pennsylvania. Congresswoman, welcome. Good morning or good afternoon, whatever. time we do these things. Exactly. I want to just dive right into it. 80%.

of the Democratic base has a negative. view of Israel's military campaign. And the party still doesn't seem to have. a cohesive unified message against this. It seems like party leadership is. completely out of step with the base. How do you think this plays out? I think that it gets more difficult. before it gets better. You know, I think. that we're in an era right now where. voters are really demanding something. that I think it's a bit unusual, right?

And that is that the Democratic Party, our elected officials, choose them, right? There is more active. participation and sometimes I think the. Democrats mistake lack of voting or that. type of, you know, electoral engagement. for engagement or for apathy, but people. aren't apathetic. People are incredibly. tuned into this. And when they see our. elected officials taking just remarkable. amounts of dollars from, for instance, AIPAC or other super PACs, it's.

discouraging to them. It's. disenfranchising, it's [clears throat]. disappointing. And right now Americans. are saying, "We don't want forever wars. We don't want our tax dollars to go to. continuing genocides or expanding them.". And they're very, very clear about that. So, I think that the Democratic Party's. going to have to get They're going to. have to wake up to this one. And I think. that it's not going to go away and I. think that perhaps they're hoping that. it just does. So, you mentioned AIPAC and. 4 days ago they posted this video on. their YouTube channel and I want to play. it for you. Play the clip.

Well, I appreciate the relationship that. I've had with AIPAC from the very. beginning [music] of my congressional. journey. The pro-Israel community fully embraced. me. >> [music]. >> All right, so it goes on and on here and. shows a bunch of your colleagues and in. the show notes they put the following. AIPAC is proud to help elect pro-Israel.

Democrats. AIPAC is the top fundraiser. for Democrats and members of the. Congressional Black Caucus, Hispanic. Caucus, Asian Pacific American Caucus, Progressive Caucus, and Equality Caucus. Being pro-Israel is good policy and good. politics. You know, it's propaganda, right? At the end of the day, the thing. that if we're going to have a true. reflective democracy, and I say this. often, um.

black communities, poor communities, working-class communities, they deserve. the ability to pick their elected. officials without the outsized influence. of millions and millions and millions. and millions of dollars coming down in. what is just quite frankly objectively. deceitful ads, right? That doesn't help. the black community build up its own. bench. It doesn't help us to advance. um issues that are important to us from. everything from criminal legal reform, absolutely, to economic justice and. environmental justice. What it does is.

it keeps the focus on this one issue. that is not top one or top 10 issue in. some of these communities that they're. going into. So, I think it's incredibly. disingenuous, but I also recognize that. the reason why they're able, and it's. not just them, right? AIPAC or Crypto. PAC or any of these other ones, the. reason they're able to do this is. because precisely because these are. communities that don't have that type of. money to compete in our electoral. system. And we're just talking about US. House races. Well, how could we ever get.

a progressive, you know, black or brown. or indigenous, uh, senator? Right? It costs hundreds of. millions of dollars to run Senate races. right now. So, the reality is is that. anybody who cares about democracy, who. cares about environmental justice, who. cares about uh, stopping mass shootings. in our schools, about any of the things. that Democrats care about, Medicare for. all, then we all have to be very clear. and very dedicated to saying that we. need all of this big money out of. politics. And we can't make exceptions.

for the ones that come and help us or. the ones that, uh, take out the people. who make us uncomfortable. So, where I kind of am really turned off. by this outside influence is after Trump. won his second term. I'm like, "Okay, I'm ready for resistance 2.0. I'm ready. I'm like, you know, we're going to do. the Women's March. We're going to all. wear the pink hats. It's going to be. even more fierce this time around." Cuz. he won by like 100,000 [clears throat]. votes. This was, you know, marginal. marginal victory.

Um, and it never came. And so, then you. start looking at these donors, um, AIPAC, Palantir, and others. And then. you find out um, Hakeem Jeffries and. Chuck Schumer take money from the same. people that spent just as much money as. Elon Musk did to get Donald Trump. elected. And then I'm like, "Oh, that's why we don't have an. opposition." Oh, no, but you have to go. a little bit deeper than that, right? Because the opposition was never and. could never have just been elected.

Democrats. Right? True opposition comes. from the grassroots. And when you look. at the ways in which our grassroots. politics has been infiltrated by these. outside sources, also, then you start to. see a much fuller picture. Right? Even. when you look, and I'll say we have this. tension here at my own in my own. district, right? When we come together, we finally do, whether it's a no kings. march or or or whatever women's march, there is always that tension between, well, can you mention genocide? Or. can you mention.

you know, immigration and ICE. disappearing people? What are we. comfortable with? And I think that. because the Democratic Party is not. having. real. intentional conversation, a conversation. that makes us uncomfortable, conversation that scares us a little. bit. When because we're not having that. conversation, a tension that could help. us grow, we're running from it. And. what's happening is is that that is now. these are all now natural fissures that. Republicans, that MAGA, that outside. influences can now exploit. And if we.

don't combat it head on, if we don't. have these real time we're not going to. agree on everything. But the fact that. this money is able to come in and really. influence whether or not this activist. group moves, whether your politician. moves, can indicate whether or not if. you think that we're in these poverty. conditions. There are so many things. that are at play that are keeping us. from being able to build a true. opposition in the United States. But. there are also those same things are. also being worked on and I don't want. and I'm not actually not discouraged. because there are people, there are. movements, our labor movement has been.

working through unprecedented attacks. And yet they are still finding ways of. showing up. So it is happening. It's happening, but like this, as we. call out the true problems, it gives us. the tools to start to chip away at it. Yeah, I think your your statement there. where you speak about how when you go to. protest, can we mention genocide? Can we. mention certain things? That's the. disconnect right there with Democratic. elected Democratic leadership and the. base. It is I feel like the leadership.

is still operating like early 2000 style. politics. Everybody's off the corporate tit, whether it's the news that they're. watching. There is this fiercely. independent movement in the Democratic. Party and I'm very worried that the. corporate Democrats and never Trumpers. want to take over our party and make it. like a MAGA light party when we really. need to drive it the way that Zoran and.

others, yourself, are driving it to. where this is an FDR-style party for. generations of the people, by the. people, for the people. And so as you. head in, let's say that we have free and. fair elections. And I don't think it's. hyperbolic to say, you know, we're. terrified of what Trump and all of the. idiots surrounding him have in planned. for uh the midterms. And we you're going to have, when you go. back to Congress, you're going to have. some corporate Dems and you're going to. have progressive Dems.

And what does that work environment look. like, Congresswoman? The Progressive. Caucus, I've had a lot of you all on, love. Like love the. the Progressive Caucus, you guys are. fighters for the people. What does that. look like after midterms, going back in. and concessions and compromise? Cuz all. of those things are a part of defeating. fascism as well. We have to be realistic. as well. Yeah. And to be quite clear, two two points of clarity. I just want. to say yes, you absolutely can say.

genocide at at a protest because it's. our it's our obligation. Two, um. when we think about just. where they're trying to take our party. to. They are it it it is an outdated. politics. It's a such a nostalgic. politics that we're dealing with right. now. And that's going to lead me to to. the point. It is a nostalgic politics. There are people who have been there who. are yearning for a time that made them. feel more comfortable, right? Where. things were far more predictable. Even. if they were predictable in a way that. didn't benefit the vast majority of.

people, the many, over the money, right? And I think that. that's what our tension is right now. There are people outside who are tired. of that paradigm. They're saying that we. no longer whether we are in fascism, we. have approached fascism because we have. ignored the opportunities to build a. more people-centered politics. And we have every turn. if we prioritize incumbency, we. prioritize corporation and corporate. pacts and money. And right now when we.

go if we are able to earn a majority, if we are able to refortify our. democracy and grab it out of the jaws of. authoritarianism, it's going to rely on. this our party getting more responsive. and finding itself closer to where the. people are. And I think that the people. are going to drive that. So what I think. about when we go back for the, you know, the next Congress if, you know, we all. get the chance to go back, you know, I. think it's going to be tension, but I. also think that we have numbers and we. have people behind the policies that we.

care about. That the the era of, you. know, there will always be concessions. Yeah. They'll always be compromises. because that's just the world. Mhm. But. we have to fight on our side. strategically. We have to fight as if we. recognize that we have a stake in this. and that we deserve to be at the helm of. building what comes next. I actually. take that very seriously. So I'm willing. to go up against whether it be corporate. dems or macro Republicans, we have to. show up one way or another. So we can't. take our ball and go home. We can't. assume that just because Democrats get. in power that it's a lost cause or that.

it's a slam dunk. We have to create the. conditions and our politicians, my. colleagues, are growing more responsive. to people as people grow more responsive. to this moment. And I do believe that, but we have to force those changes and. we have to force those conversations. So. it's up to us really. I don't think that. is written in stone what's going to. come, right? We have to decide what we. are willing to fight for, what we are. willing to take, and what we are willing to create in. this moment. But if we leave corporate.

dems to their own devices, we know what. we'll get. How malleable do you think the your. coworkers. um at in Congress, um more of the. corporate establishment style Democrats. Let's say hypothetically, hopefully, optimistically that a bunch of. progressives win. How malleable are. those corporate Dems to listening to. people and bending the knee to the. people versus bending the knee to. corporations?

I think that we have to take away the. incentive to bend the knees to. corporations. That's just that. Right? The reason why my abolish super PACs. bill is the most important bill to me is. because it is the gateway to getting all. of the other things that we need in our. society. Right? I think that you there are more. Dems than not, not just even elected. Dems. I mean more people who are. democratically aligned in this country. who believes that you should not die. because you have diabetes, you should. not uh you should not be unhoused or.

homeless because corporate, you know, Wall Street is gobbling up our housing. stock, right? I don't think that there. are Dems that believe that any kid in. this country should not get a quality. education, right? Because of whatever. interest. Which means that there is a. disconnect. And that disconnect is that. money in politics. It is the fact that. those lobbyists, those uh corporate. entities are sitting on your. politician's lap. Or rather, the politician might be. sitting on their lap.

Right? They're that close. They're that. intertwined. So no matter how much a. politician comes in like really wanting. to say that I want to serve the people, these are the things that I want. And. they get in there and they find it. suffocating. It is a suffocating place, no matter what your intention is. So we. have to make sure that we're taking away. that particular weapon that corporations. have to dictate our national politics. So that's my first thing. So I don't. believe that, you know, everybody's just. going to have a good change of heart. I. believe that we have to change those.

conditions. So, that's why ending. Citizens United. abolishing Super PACs, I believe that. that has to be the Democratic Party's. first priority. First priority, before. we do anything else. And then the rest. of it will be a far more fair fight. here. I like it. Okay, you are a member. of the House Oversight Committee. And. Pam Bondi was subpoenaed to testify for. her role in stonewalling the release of. the Epstein files. Why isn't she there? And what can.

Democrats continue to do to make sure. that she faces accountability? There's. also Wall Street Journal reporting that. Trump has said, "Anybody who's within. 200 ft of the Oval is going to get a. pardon." And if the Democrats win, um. I just feel like there's going to be a. real appetite towards accountability for. these people that have protected. pedophiles, that have um stolen taxpayer.

money for their themselves and their. families. The the criming that we see. and the corruption has just become. normal. It It's just like this normal. day in America now. And I'm very worried. about that. So, speak to the Pam Bondi. situation because. that And then also. >> [laughter]. >> And then also this just this corruption. is. unbelievable. And Republicans that they seem to be.

fine with it. That your colleagues. across the aisle seem to be A-OK with. corruption. Our colleagues across the aisle are A-OK. with corruption because their base is. still okay with corruption. So, when we. think about how do we get our country to. the next point. safely. with our democracy, with equity and. justice intact, we have a cultural issue. that we have to address. before we address the political issue. One led to the other. What came first, the chicken or the egg? The culture The culture preceded the.

politics. And they but they shaped each. other. And that's why Republicans feel. that this is okay to move this way. It's. why they feel that they are able to be. blatantly just anti-democratic, anti-constitutional, anti-black, anti-brown, anti-woman, anti-queer, anti-immigrant. And right. They're such babies. God. And we have to fortify our, you know, just like. cultural systems to make sure that. people are not slipping into those gaps. anymore. Bondi doesn't isn't coming.

today because James Comer is a coward. Because James Comer has not decided. whether he is the chairman of this. committee or Donald Trump is the. chairman of this committee. And until he, you know, finds his. courage, he's going to he's going to. continue to let Donald Trump run over. him. They're going to They're all doing this. They have all seated their ground as a. co-equal branch of government. But let. me tell you something. As uh gleefully as they went into uh the.

contempt hearings or the the filing the. contempt. uh for Bill and Hillary Hillary Clinton, we shall be as as, you know, not gleeful. because we don't take joy in. accountability, though we do believe. it's our responsibility. We will take up. the responsibility of holding these. people accountable that they were not. willing to. We have indicated that we are willing to. hold accountable whoever is a part of. this just heinous, the most prolific sex. trafficking ring in our nation's history.

outside of. chattel enslavement. We have decided. oversight thems will talk to anybody. We. will hold anybody accountable. And that. accountability does not have a statute. of limitations. So, if Comer is willing. to, you know, cower and wait, then we. will be there to do what's right for the. survivors. Not just the survivors of Epstein, but. the survivors of sexual abuse, sexual. trafficking, of political corruption, because these folks are survivors of. each of those things, we'll still be.

there ready to do this. And that's why. it's so important that we protect the. subpoena power of the Oversight. Committee. So, whether it's Pam Bondi or. Donald Trump or anybody in between, accountability will come. All right, we will be there to hold. them. We will be there to make sure that. there is there is responsibility here, that there's some justice here. And. that's not going to be easy. And that's. why this Epstein case has been unique. It has been. uh important because it has shown the. point where all Americans have reached, you know, their line in the sand. All.

Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, all of them have said, "This is This is too much. We will not. let go of this thing." Donald Trump. expected them to let go. Pam Bondi. expected them to let go. But we are not going to let go. We're. not taking our foot off, you know, gas. the gas or necks right now, because it's. that important that Americans realize. that we are willing to fight to build a. system that does not privilege and. prioritize the already wealthy and. well-connected and well-protected. Um. so, you know, the way that we do this is.

as we continue to pressure. We already got a bipartisan subpoena for. for Pam Bondi. So, she's not She's not. responding to a subpoena that Democrats. forced alone. We needed it Republicans. to bring her in. And it will be with. that bipartisan support that she gets. dragged in here or she gets held in. contempt. We will need the outside. pressure to make sure that we're still. bringing in the right people to talk to. And we have more folks in line that we. have subpoenaed that are coming into our. committee. That there'll be more pressure to make. sure that the DOJ, whoever, whether it. is, you know, who is it? Liz Allen or.

whoever unqualified person Trump brings. in to run this. That they still. recognize that the subpoena and the. Epstein Files Transparency Act are both. still in full effect. They are legally. legal and binding and they owe us three. more million documents. So, more to. come. And don't you know, those that. they are hanging on to have got to be. some of the most disturbing we have. ever seen in our lives because the stuff. that's come out, I'm pretty shock-proof, has been so shocking from, you know,

like the first law firm that bent the. knee to Trump. Well, well, well, who's. in the Epstein files? And you start to. see all of the perimeter of the people. around this fascist regime. Everybody's. in freaking Epstein files. And so, not. only, I feel like, you know, you're. working on um things that you can do as. a progressive in uh Congress and with. your constituents, we here working on. we've got to have a better electorate, too. We have to have an electorate that.

demands. justice and transparency and the truth. about powerful men raping little girls, whether they're a Democrat, Republican, a billionaire, or dead ass broke. We. have to demand that stuff and we have to. demand that our electorate put pressure. on these corporate dems. So, I want to. have you on. >> how we build discipline and resiliency. in our movement. When you think about. everything that this nation has. accomplished, it did not start with your.

elected officials, though it should, right? It absolutely [laughter] should. And it is not to say that there were not. elected officials in those spaces ready. to push, ready to kick, ready to scream, but real true progress has come from the. grassroots every single time. So, right. now, it is our responsibilities. our responsibility as Americans, as. progressives, as revolutionaries, whatever it may be, to be disciplined, to be strategic,

to be relentless, to be relentless right now. And that's. where our organized labor, our organized. money, our organized electorate will be. the most powerful force that we have. And that is what a true democracy is. So. right now, we've gotten this far in the. Epstein files because of that. discipline, that resilience, that just. the the the resiliency of the survivors. and the solidarity of the American. population to support them. has lifted this here. And I think that.

is going to carry us forward because. they're, you know, their spirit of. seeking justice is still there, right? They're they're still waiting. for what they deserve. with dignity. They're still demanding. it, they're still pushing for it, and. they're not backing off. Congresswoman Summer Lee, thank you so. much for everything that you're doing, for helping build a better electorate. that demands more of our politicians. because that is a key component to. taking us out of fascism is having a. well-educated.

electorate that understands what we're. up against. So thank you for everything. that you do, for all of the people with. whom you campaign. We see you, and I. think it's amazing, and we have to march. into the midterms hand-in-hand to try to. puncture this fascist takeover. Thank. you so much for all the work you do, and. keep your foot on that gas pedal, go. after that Bondi. Yes, thank you so much. [laughter]. Bye.