AG Pam Bondi Faces the Senate in Chaotic Hearing

Interactive Transcript

spk_0 Hey guys, me Sam Stein managing at it's a bull or come join by Andrew Edgar authored morning shots and we just set through

spk_0 Wow, that was a long hearing we've been sitting through four and a half hours

spk_0 Congressional testimony involving Pam Bondi before I wasn't that long

spk_0 It started nine having fun, you know again. I'm not a I'm not a journalist on a mathematician started nine a.m

spk_0 It's 140 PM. That's for hours and 40 minutes

spk_0 And I don't think they they had a break so that that's impressive stuff

spk_0 It was um, I don't know how would you describe it? It was a lot

spk_0 It was a lot. It was contentious. It was there was a lot of yelling

spk_0 At various points in time

spk_0 You know you get when you're watching one of these things sometimes you get a little behind because you're transcribing some stuff

spk_0 Whatever you jump forward you could always tell whether Bondi was talking to a Republican or a Democrat just by the tone of her voice

spk_0 Before you knew who she was who she was with um, she was I mean she came loaded for bear in like peak

spk_0 TV pundit mode

spk_0 Ready to pivot from whatever question the Democrat was asking at any given time of which there were many good ones

spk_0 Which we'll talk about to

spk_0 Whatever kind of prepared personal attack she had on each individual Democratic Senator right?

spk_0 I don't know is unusual. I'd say an unusual hearing even for these guys is how I'd put it

spk_0 Yeah, so she was definitely a load of bear a lot of finger wagging and then you know when the Republicans took their turn a lot of

spk_0 graciousness

spk_0 Look we're gonna we'll have some moments to kind of laugh at it all and make fun of it all

spk_0 but there was something deeply serious about it that kind of

spk_0 The end it kind of said in a little bit, which is that um

spk_0 This is a almost perfect distillation of

spk_0 How much

spk_0 Congress has abdicated their responsibility or at least a portion of congress has abdicated their responsibility

spk_0 around very serious issues

spk_0 There were and look I get it because she wants to protect the president

spk_0 She's there on his behalf. I guess that's not the way it's supposed to be but she is

spk_0 But you know Republicans

spk_0 They don't have to play along with this

spk_0 But there are serious accusations and serious questions about a number of different things happening including

spk_0 National Guard being sent to you as cities

spk_0 Tom home and taking a big cash bribe

spk_0 The you know the James Comey indictment that is apparently

spk_0 Appended and very important US Attorney's office in the Eastern District of New York

spk_0 Yeah, we can go on and on that

spk_0 Sorry Virginia, you're right. The site the one of the it's the second most part one after New York. I should have said

spk_0 mergers

spk_0 That seem to be you know getting favorable treatment so on and so forth and

spk_0 There was not really much in the way of answers from that in part because

spk_0 It's developed into a partisan bickering and I'm just gonna play our first clip

spk_0 Uh

spk_0 That gets at this which is Adam Schiff

spk_0 He's like one of last people ask question because he's a freshman member

spk_0 And look he's he's like a real foil for Republicans because they hate the guy and

spk_0 You'll just see she just like you know, he's talking looking he's not actually addressing body

spk_0 He's addressing his fellow Republicans on the committee and he's pleading with them to

spk_0 Actually engage in oversight and

spk_0 As you'll hear Bonnie just talks over him and and goes after him

spk_0 Let's play the clip and then Andrew you give me your thoughts about it on the flip side

spk_0 question

spk_0 This is supposed to be an oversight hearing over side these excuse me

spk_0 You can attack me after my time is over

spk_0 You can attack me later and I know you've got plenty of candidates. We've heard them all day to day

spk_0 Can this is

spk_0 No one needs to can this happen on you regular order madam jare trying to speak

spk_0 This is supposed to be an oversight hearing of the justice department

spk_0 And it comes in the wake of an indictment called for by the president of one of his enemies

spk_0 This is supposed to be an oversight hearing and it comes in the wake of revelations that a top administration

spk_0 Fissual took $50,000 in a bag

spk_0 And this department made that investigation go away

spk_0 This is supposed to be an oversight hearing when dozens of prosecutors have been fired

spk_0 Simply because they worked on cases investing in the former president

spk_0 This is and now the fires in California and this is supposed to be this is excuse me. This is supposed to be an oversight hearing

spk_0 In which members of Congress can get serious answers to serious questions about

spk_0 Are there riots in LA?

spk_0 About the cover-up of corruption

spk_0 about the prosecution of the president's enemies

spk_0 And when will it be when will it be your entire

spk_0 The members of this committee on a bipartisan basis demand answers to those questions and and refuse to accept

spk_0 Clearly or a law you're used to accept

spk_0 They're not going to be someone can and cannot use to accept

spk_0 Personally

spk_0 I mean, I don't know to me that was that was it like that summarized the entire experience

spk_0 But also really underscored the real problems here

spk_0 With the Senate judiciary committee

spk_0 Yeah, I mean that that clip would have been kind of astonishing coming from any administration

spk_0 administration official who was testifying right because that really did sum up the approach the entire time she was

spk_0 Uniformly hostile, you know, like basically uninterrupted. I mean there were there were times when you know a

spk_0 A given democratic senator would try to do one of these like here

spk_0 Here's this off the off the beaten path thing while I have you here that we can work with and she would be a little more gracious about that

spk_0 But anytime it was an attack that was or anytime with a question from a Democrat that was you know

spk_0 Obviously designed to extract information about stuff the White House has been trying to be cute about or try to keep under their hat or whatever

spk_0 It was immediately you know pedal to the floor hostility and personal attacks on the Democrats and again any any

spk_0 administration official that would be remarkable

spk_0 But it's particularly remarkable from the attorney general of the United States who again is helming

spk_0 All federal prosecutions that take place you know across America and and and if you go back

spk_0 You know to to even just you know Trump's first term and you you you look at testimony from

spk_0 Jeff Sessions or you look at testimony from bill bar

spk_0 I mean like there would be moments where they were plainly like

spk_0 A annoyed you know like kind of privately annoyed by the questions Democrats would be asking them

spk_0 Because they thought they were off base or whatever, but they they

spk_0 They didn't treat the whole thing like a joke. They didn't treat the whole thing like a like a pun like a cable news hit or something like that

spk_0 I mean it was really kind of astonishing to watch. I guess I guess I'm not that I disagree with you

spk_0 But it's like I almost came in expecting Bonnie to be like this and we're gonna do a mashup of I mean

spk_0 She clearly came prepared with like an oppopal could every senator

spk_0 The non-sequitors into the California fires with shift was like just like you know the tip of the spear

spk_0 I kind of expected her to do that right like because that's just how these

spk_0 this administration operates

spk_0 What I was and I guess I should have expected this more too for the fellow Republicans on on on the panel

spk_0 Which is you know if I was if I was one of them

spk_0 I would like to know if Tom Homing kept the $50,000 like I kind of wanted up

spk_0 I think it kind of matters to know if the borders are is on you know

spk_0 Is engaged in blatant acts of corruption that matters to me

spk_0 I would like to know I would like to know if

spk_0 Pam Bondi

spk_0 felt like she had to fire to lead us attorney in the US

spk_0 Attorney's office in the eastern district of Virginia got to write that time like I feel like that wouldn't matter to me

spk_0 um, but that's just me I guess

spk_0 Yeah, yeah, I mean we should we got to go chapter in verse on all those things you just talked about I guess

spk_0 You're you're absolutely right that like there's no real reason to be surprised by this. I mean I I absolutely

spk_0 The phrase that everybody talks about the you know, it was shocking but not surprising that everyone just said like

spk_0 500 times since the beginning of the first administration

spk_0 But there's a reason people keep going back to that phrase is because it's like it is 100% in keeping with you know

spk_0 The Pam Bondi experience. I mean she has she

spk_0 She has behaved like this at all times and in all places since her

spk_0 Confirmation and even more obviously I was wise. That's why they picked her

spk_0 To do this job because Donald Trump wanted an attorney general who would function as sort of his personal lawyer as opposed to the guys he had before

spk_0 So yeah, and in that sense certainly not surprising, but just I mean

spk_0 Just to think about like the fact that that is where we are that this is this is again the person who right is Helming every federal prosecution

spk_0 Who makes all these decisions who has all this power all this authority um and and and you know while going before this

spk_0 Co-equal branch of the government that that has oversight over her role and over the White House and over all this stuff

spk_0 She has that much. She's just dripping with contempt for these for these totally fair questions about real stories

spk_0 I mean it's a dark I mean it's a dark place where we're at

spk_0 So let's just to recap a little bit because we jumped right into it at this hearing again for our 40 minutes

spk_0 And then we're just like let's just go live. It might be still big on our own idea

spk_0 She was asked and refused to answer questions on Tom Homan accepting allegedly $50,000 for guaranteed contracts

spk_0 Allegedly except in a Kava bag. I just love that detail have to

spk_0 She refused to talk about personnel matters. She wouldn't talk about conversations the president. She wouldn't talk about involvement

spk_0 Her office is involvement in mergers

spk_0 She wouldn't talk about the advice. She's given on critical legal issues. She wouldn't talk about pending legislation

spk_0 She wouldn't talk about things like the dobs league

spk_0 she did end up talking about one

spk_0 The the the sentence giving to the person who tried to assassinate our Kavanaugh, but that was about it

spk_0 What she oh, sorry, he did concede at one point that when Donald Trump issued his not infamous through social post where he said

spk_0 Pam comma something something something has to be done about the Komi thing

spk_0 She did concede that she was probably the Pam

spk_0 That's so there was there was there was one concession that she didn't make

spk_0 Um what she did do though is she did deliver op-hits on

spk_0 Basically every Democrat and it got to the point and we're gonna play the the master cut of this in one second

spk_0 But it was so funny got to the point where Peter Welch

spk_0 Very, you know even keeled mild-managed senator from Vermont

spk_0 Uh preemptive do you see this you preempted her and he was like

spk_0 What do you say like before you get to it like don't hit me with your op or something like that quite yet

spk_0 Let me get my question out first

spk_0 You would whatever you have let me ask my question. All right. I'm gonna let's never got to that one

spk_0 I wonder what she had

spk_0 I want to know what she have on here. What she have on Peter Welch. I need to know

spk_0 Um, let's play the let's play the uh the master list here master cut and then Andrew on the other side

spk_0 I want to know what your favorite apple hit was so let's get we're not gonna get all of them because there's too many

spk_0 And the less press play and see just shut down the government and you're sitting here our law enforcement officers aren't being paid

spk_0 They're out there working to protect you

spk_0 I wish you love Chicago as much as you hate president trump, you know

spk_0 Senator gerb and I find it very interesting that you refused repeated republican request to release the upstein flight logs in

spk_0 2023 and 2024 you fought that

spk_0 Did you take money from read Hoffman campaign donations?

spk_0 Who was a huge upstein friend, you know, you're very concerned about money and people taking money and you know

spk_0 Wait a second wait a second wait a second wait a second wait a second

spk_0 all the time Senator White House

spk_0 Senator

spk_0 I would be more concerned if I were you when you talk about corruption and money that you that when you pushed for legislation that would subsidize your wife's company

spk_0 You were also on video outside the White House protesting with a group called casa where Antifa members were

spk_0 Does that mean you're a member of Antifa case?

spk_0 Senator, I don't think a lot of people like that you were out protesting with Antifa right now

spk_0 Senator Blumenthal Irick I

spk_0 Cannot believe that you would accuse me of impropriety when you lied about your military service

spk_0 You

spk_0 You lie about

spk_0 You I'm a career prosecutor don't you ever challenge my integrity? I have abided by every ethics standard do not question my ability to be fair and impartial as attorney general

spk_0 All right, the only one I think we miss was when she just recycled the Derban line

spk_0 Where she left Chicago as much as a Trump she recycled it for for Alex Pida the center from California

spk_0 Just substitute

spk_0 California for Chicago. All right. Which one was the which one was the best hit Andrew? Yeah, and I mean again

spk_0 You already said this we cut that that down a lot like there were there was a lot more of this

spk_0 I think my favorite it was a little hard to tell from the clip

spk_0 But the best in in context was was I guess it was probably Sheldon White House

spk_0 She was talking to and she's like oh you you you really want to talk about corruption

spk_0 And you really want to talk about money changing hands

spk_0 How about the fact that you take donations from super PACs, you know

spk_0 In in response to a question about home and in this bag of cash

spk_0 What I mean, I mean are we gonna do are we gonna do clips about about that because I mean this is just yes

spk_0 We're gonna get to home. Yeah, well, we can we can we can postpone that for now, but I mean

spk_0 At every turn. I mean it was like you lied about you. It's like whatever like the main like campaign hit against a guy

spk_0 Would have been when they were first elected to the Senate god knows how long you know Richard Blumenthal has been in the US

spk_0 And this is like you know, you know you're what about what about your swift boat moment

spk_0 Senator Blumenthal it's just I mean, I don't know it was that there were like the heronal ones you like when she was like

spk_0 Are you call or don't call me a liar what did you want him to say exactly? But it was some he he contradicted something

spk_0 She'd said she immediately yeah, there's a woman where he contributes to and she's like how dare you call me a letter?

spk_0 I like personally my favorite of those was herona where she accused her you know

spk_0 Riding with Antifa like an ace hero

spk_0 Um, I think that this is instead of the brecavina

spk_0 You know template

spk_0 Basically ever since Calvin was confirmation hearing

spk_0 If you just get mad and scream and like act and dignant at your questioners like

spk_0 I think people assume you're doing a good job and I think every everyone now basically has adopted the same approach to these hearings

spk_0 Where you just have to like you know seem really peved off really pissed off and peved at what's going on and you know

spk_0 Dignits and then you can basically sail through

spk_0 Yeah, I mean, I don't know you could make the case like how you it's like how you act in editorial meetings exactly

spk_0 I call it the brecavina approach. No, I mean like with the with the cabin not thing at least you could like make the case that like

spk_0 You know, you can a lot of factual questions there

spk_0 If he's telling the truth he has a right to be extremely upset that like this whole thing has come up

spk_0 Whereas all these questions were not like you know stuff that was dragged out of like allegations about her personal life from your

spk_0 Stuff and stuff in the job in the last couple months that she absolutely should have to answer questions about right

spk_0 So I mean it's just another to do there's like what there's like who took

spk_0 Tom homen takes a 50,000. I'm there you yeah super back cash. Can we do that one next?

spk_0 Let me go straight to Tom homen. I just I want to talk about that stupid story

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spk_0 Just set up a little bit like why you know

spk_0 Maybe if you don't remember the story, but also who brought it up today and like why was because they did come up several times

spk_0 It's actually a bit surprised at how much they made it a focus. Yeah, yeah

spk_0 Yeah, different

spk_0 Democrats and I'm not sure I'll be able to remember up top my heads which

spk_0 But but a few of them shift talked about it and Welsh talked about it and why not talk about it um

spk_0 The basic allegation this came out a few weeks ago

spk_0 And it's not really just an allegation. I mean, it's it's very well reported that that that uh

spk_0 Not only was the FBI looking into an allegation that Tom Homan who was the you know, who is the White House borders are

spk_0 deportations are now

spk_0 Um, and was all right always kind of in line for that role

spk_0 The FBI last year

spk_0 According to these reports basically ran a sting on him where they had gotten word that he was sort of selling access to the incoming administration

spk_0 Telling people he could get them in line for contracts when the big deportation system got stood up

spk_0 The FBI gets an appointment with him to do this um, they they you know

spk_0 Tell him they're interested in in potentially, you know, buying some access and they give him $50,000 in cash in a Kava bag

spk_0 Um, and the Kava bag, I wanted to clear because we always have to this is editorial directive

spk_0 We have to make clear it was a Kava bag. Yes. Yes. Yes. So that's and and again

spk_0 Not chick-bole

spk_0 According to these reports the FBI has him you know on tape accepting this um and and there was a there was an ongoing investigation

spk_0 Now what what matters in this is that it's not a crime to take $50,000 in cash um from the FBI in a Kava bag

spk_0 It's also not a crime to tell them you're going to give them access in order to get that what what becomes a crime is that if you then get into office and

spk_0 And well carry out an act right that it's not a crime is it not really not a behavior? No, it's not it's not it is not

spk_0 Meet sort of the federal you know, uh bar for for being an actual bribe unless there is a service rendered for it

spk_0 So that's why that's why you have to yeah, but you have to establish that the service was rendered for it

spk_0 Yeah

spk_0 Yeah, and it's all and it's also stupid because you know and and this this shows really how much like the old FBI and the new FBI are just like

spk_0 Worlds apart right? I mean the when when Donald Trump is coming into the office and into office the FBI tells him and they're like

spk_0 Hey, you know just so you know this Tom Homan guy has been

spk_0 openly trafficking in in bribes and you should probably know that as you start to staff up your administration

spk_0 Trump gets in there puts home in in anyway the FBI then cancels the administration

spk_0 Tom Homan obviously now knows that then he can't give those guys a contract right? So it's like you know

spk_0 There is never that final predicating

spk_0 But he needs what they need to know if he kept the catch yeah, yeah, so that's what they were talking about in this hearing today

spk_0 And that's why Pam Bondy and I'm sure we'll we'll play this in a minute, but she will pull we have a red in them. Okay, let's do it

spk_0 Okay, so let's play clip 16 again the key here is they need to establish whether or not homing kept the catch

spk_0 Because that would mean he'd have to file his tax returns showing he kept the cash and so

spk_0 A number of Democrats asked Bondy about this, but the best exchange was with the aforementioned Peter Welch who was

spk_0 So scared about getting hit by Pam Bondy's oppa, but still delivered her very interesting back and forth

spk_0 With Pam Bondy, let's watch

spk_0 You want to go back to Homan, you know, there's a tape right with mr. Homan

spk_0 I mean first of all is there a tape and that has audio and video of the transfer of the 50,000

spk_0 You would have to talk to director Patel about that

spk_0 No, I'm I'm talking to you. I don't know the answer center yet

spk_0 You do know the answer to the song you liar

spk_0 I didn't tell you a lie you just said I know the answer. I said I don't know the answer

spk_0 Well, okay, let me tell what I said is that investigation was closed

spk_0 If you don't know why don't you know whether there was a tape and video

spk_0 Senator

spk_0 I believe that was resolved prior to my confirmation as attorney general

spk_0 Do you think that it is of public interest for the people to know

spk_0 What happened to the 50 grand that the FBI turned over to Homan? Did you hear what I just said that was resolved prior to my confirmation as attorney general

spk_0 That's why I said I would not know

spk_0 It is it's not resolved there's 50 good thousand dollars Homan has it or somebody has it. Do you have no interest in knowing where it is?

spk_0 You're not gonna sit here and slander Tom Homan

spk_0 The FBI and deputy director blanche said there was nothing. I'm not slamming Tom Homan

spk_0 He got to 50 grand how do you know that Tom Homan is doing a great job as our borders are keeping your border state safe

spk_0 So she started there and and he cut her off that thing where he she started to say you know the the DOJ and the FBI looked into this and deputy director blanche looked into this and they found no wrongdoing on Tom Homan's part she read

spk_0 Almost word-for-word that statement repeatedly three or four five times which is also you know the the party line all along and and basically what they're doing is

spk_0 They're doing some slight of hand as to what wrongdoing means

spk_0 It's because like what all that stuff we were talking about before where he doesn't appear actually to have

spk_0 Delivered on his promise to these sting FBI agents

spk_0 That there's perhaps yeah, and that we know of that those perhaps nothing chargeable right but like these questions aren't about that

spk_0 These questions aren't about whether Tom Homan necessarily committed a crime these questions are about the unbelievably

spk_0 Ski-V and corrupt act of promising to sell access to the administration which we know

spk_0 Beyond a shadowed I'm not gonna say beyond a shadow of it out beyond a reasonable doubt at this point

spk_0 Took place because of because of how Pambondi acted because of how the administration has acted around all this stuff

spk_0 They know that he did they know it's out there. She would deny it if it if it weren't and instead they she continues to retreat behind these sort of like pat

spk_0 Um, you know how do you ask these questions in the first place and that though. I mean her her responses

spk_0 I'm bad at my job. I didn't even bother to find out if there's a video like

spk_0 Why would I know that you're the fucking attorney general you didn't ask like come on

spk_0 It's it's totally unbelievable

spk_0 It's resolved

spk_0 Well, if it's resolved then you would know if there's a video like it's a it's so preposterous

spk_0 but the only obvious

spk_0 Explanation is there's no way to spin this one like there's just absolutely no way to spin this one

spk_0 Yeah, and at one point she was even asked to comment on the one thing the White House has said that goes beyond that because

spk_0 Carolyn levit from the White House podium in one of her, you know

spk_0 Tangles with reporters about these things didn't just stick to that line

spk_0 She actually went further and denied that

spk_0 Yeah, yeah any such transfer had ever taken place um, and again, she kind of so so Pambondi is asked well

spk_0 Carolyn levit said this is that true and again

spk_0 She kind of dances around it and she won't get given honest answer or any answer at all

spk_0 She's like Carolyn levit. It's one of the most trustworthy people I know

spk_0 And that's like that's like supposed to be the answer

spk_0 But again, they're just lying or and it's like she's not really lying and she's refusing to tell the truth

spk_0 And it's like with well, she's like how dare you

spk_0 Slander the reputation of Tom Homan and well, just giving her an opportunity to you know defend well

spk_0 Defend woman to by saying no, he didn't take the he didn't take the money. There's no video like she could say that any of that

spk_0 Well, it was about slandering anybody is just saying hey

spk_0 Can you tell me where the 50k is in the idea that she just has no clue if there's a video or not as ridiculous

spk_0 I'm like anyone actually believes it

spk_0 There are a couple other things that came up um again

spk_0 It's it's kind of weird talking because she was so evasive on these things, but um

spk_0 You know, topically there was sending the national guard into us cities

spk_0 Let's talk a little bit about this because this came up really early on with Durbin

spk_0 Durbin is the top Democrat on the committee. He's retiring

spk_0 Chicago in his home state is now going to be the epicenter of

spk_0 this incredibly fraught legal

spk_0 Debate over whether or not the president can deputize national guard and whether they can send red state national guard into blue states

spk_0 um

spk_0 This goes back and forth it really set the tone for the whole entire

spk_0 Hearing but let's play clip three to talk about this because Durbin wants to know

spk_0 What's the legal rational like what we did did the president talk to you about this before he he wanted forward with this and she just doesn't answer

spk_0 Let's play the clip

spk_0 Let me ask you this question were you consulted by the White House before they deployed

spk_0 National Guard troops to cities in the United States

spk_0 I am not going to discuss any internal conversations with the White House

spk_0 You won't even say whether you talk to the White House about this

spk_0 I am not going to discuss any internal conversations with the White House with you chair um ranking member

spk_0 I notice that

spk_0 What's the secret you why do you want to keep the secret to American people don't know the rationale behind the deployment of

spk_0 National Guard troops in my state

spk_0 The word is and I think it's been confirmed by the White House. They are going to transfer Texas National Guard

spk_0 Units to the state of Illinois

spk_0 What's the rationale for that? Yeah chairman as you shut down the government you voted to shut down the government

spk_0 And you're sitting here our law enforcement officers aren't being paid. They're out there working to protect you

spk_0 I wish you love Chicago as much as you hate president trump and currently the National Guard are on the way to Chicago

spk_0 If you're not going to protect your citizens president trump will

spk_0 We make it i mean there was a lot of that uh it's there was a lot on on two fronts

spk_0 There was a lot of that just kind of like blatant refusal to discuss

spk_0 Any questions about the legality there's a weird thing with this White House where uh

spk_0 They think a lot of times when these things are controversial they will like kind of go out of their way not

spk_0 To actually make legal cases for the things that they're doing and their public rhetoric

spk_0 They're kind of like setting that stuff aside and instead you think they didn't you don't think they kicked around the legality of this

spk_0 Like the White House Council's office didn't like put together some memo to say you know we do have the authority to do this and

spk_0 Yadda yadda yadda internally

spk_0 I'm sure they did internally. I'm sure they did a lot of that and in fact we know that there's there's there's been reporting that they've

spk_0 You know been scheming for a while about you know the best ways to get the most sort of handcuffs off of these guardsmen

spk_0 And that and in for for for instance, that's why they're calling in other

spk_0 States of other red states troops into places like Chicago rather than just federalizing the Illinois guard

spk_0 CNN had some reporting about that the other day

spk_0 But but that's just you know, that's just one half of it

spk_0 Right um the the other thing is is just the really astonishing

spk_0 Rhetoric when she returned to this line a couple times. There's not just a one off where she's like if you're not gonna do the job of protecting your people then we're just gonna do it for you whether you like it or not

spk_0 Um in those

spk_0 Yeah terms and like look

spk_0 I'm sorry. That's just not how law enforcement works in America for the the federal government government prosecutes federal crimes

spk_0 It's not the federal government's job to prosecute state and law

spk_0 Let me just let me just make this case. I don't think she I know the White House has as it's default like we need to be

spk_0 Pugnaishis in punch in punch back

spk_0 But let me just make the case that it's actually

spk_0 counterproductive and it's in this in this instance

spk_0 If they feel like they this is a

spk_0 politically smart and legally sound

spk_0 deployment of national guard troops

spk_0 And that the public will be with them then they should come out at these hearings and they should outline

spk_0 The legal rational for it. It does them no good to be secretive about the legal rational for it

spk_0 In fact, it cloaks all the operations in this cloud of being legally dubious

spk_0 And I think the public would

spk_0 Uh be more likely to be with them

spk_0 If the actual chief law enforcement officer of this country said in fact we looked at the books

spk_0 We studied the law

spk_0 This is the grounds for which we are doing this we had internal debates here are the memos that the White House counsel's office put together

spk_0 Here's the debate we had about you know the extent of our authorities were because they're gonna have to argue the shitting court anyway

spk_0 Uh, they might as well argue it in public and before congress

spk_0 But they do not take that approach

spk_0 For obvious reasons I think just because they like counterpunch in more than like explaining

spk_0 Yeah, and and let me look I'm curious what you think because I I

spk_0 Have maybe a more like sort of unsettling take on on this maybe maybe not

spk_0 Like like it really has just seemed to me and again, I think about stuff like the like the boats they keep blowing up

spk_0 Coming from Venezuela in international waters where like the

spk_0 The deliberate or or or for instance um, you know the the students who were being deported a few months ago for being

spk_0 You know too anti-Israel they're getting their student visas cancelled

spk_0 We're like Marco Rubio in the latter case or Pete Higgseth in the former case um really make this kind of stark

spk_0 Uh

spk_0 Statement that like we just have the authority to do that. That's just one of our authorities to do that um and and and and not

spk_0 You know actually going to the statutes and not actually making a case based on law

spk_0 But basically just making a political case that well doesn't it feel like we ought to be able to do that right like that

spk_0 Doesn't this just seem like a thing that you would like us to be doing um and and and I think that what they are doing

spk_0 Politically is they are is they are kind of continuing to train their own base more and more to not to just not have their own minds

spk_0 Flick over to the question of well, is this like a legal thing? Is this actually right high according to the law or is this or

spk_0 Well, that's like a secondary concern. Yeah, like like like it's like some some feels good some random yeah like like some random basic like it'd be nice

spk_0 If the law let us do this, but let's be honest. We all want this to happen until it's gonna happen right in the why I was gonna be happen

spk_0 You knew you referenced the um the the the targeting of um

spk_0 Fisherman boats or drug smuggling boats um in the Caribbean um I think Chris Coons brought up he's like you know

spk_0 If you start randomly killing people in the Caribbean

spk_0 It might feel good, but like

spk_0 China might look at that and say okay. Well if they're doing it we can just start randomly killing

spk_0 You know we're shooting down or or um you bombing boats in in the China Sea

spk_0 And I think her response that was I'm not gonna get into the legal advice that we've been using for you know

spk_0 Targeting these Venezuelan boats because she just wouldn't do it

spk_0 But to your point. It's like oh, yeah, it might feel good. It might seem politically

spk_0 viable in the moment, but um there are actual ramifications that go beyond the next three days

spk_0 um

spk_0 The other thing that came up was a combi which we talked about combi came up a lot

spk_0 um and in part because uh

spk_0 In this case Trump was fairly open in demanding the pan-bomba to prosecute the guy

spk_0 Be admitted that or she conceded that probably was the pan he was referring to um I want to play clip 14 where um

spk_0 It was brought up that she was pictured with Donald Trump like the night before

spk_0 Uh the combi indictment I think it was the senator blue menthal who was questioning her about this let's play clip 14

spk_0 Before James combi's indictment

spk_0 You had dinner with president i states

spk_0 pretty intimate group

spk_0 Actually, there were a lot of people there tonight. That's a great picture. I love that picture

spk_0 That's a great picture and there were a lot of people there that night. I think the entire cabinet was there

spk_0 Did you discuss James combi with the president of the United States he was sitting

spk_0 Just to your left

spk_0 Well two seats down. Yes two seats down and I am not going to discuss

spk_0 Any conversations I have or not have with the president of the American public is entitled to know

spk_0 Madam attorney general the entire cabinet was not that true

spk_0 Instructions from president trump after he told you very directly

spk_0 To indict James combi which is weaponization of the department of justice

spk_0 I whenever this happens. I can't my mind always goes back to loretta lynch getting on the plane with Bill Clinton

spk_0 who wasn't even president at the time

spk_0 And this becoming like the most world shattering scandal of the 2016 campaign

spk_0 And it's true. It's just a

spk_0 Lied out double standard here even if they were just having a non intimate dinner with all the cabinet officials

spk_0 It is not common

spk_0 For the attorney general to do this with the president

spk_0 It's just not it's not common for the president's personal lawyer to take over the US attorney's office

spk_0 And then bring a prosecution against James combi a former FBI director

spk_0 This shit just doesn't happen and she's just so you know blas a about it non-shot

spk_0 Oh, what's that lovely dinner she's bloating. I mean like

spk_0 And yeah, it's totally I mean like oh, it's a great picture

spk_0 You know, it's like a we had a good time, you know, I do it again

spk_0 I don't know if we have this on a clip that as far as the comi stuff is concerned the most

spk_0 Notable thing that she said and again like about that dinner like

spk_0 That dinner happens after trump has sent those those true so close that are like Pam

spk_0 We're not prosecuting Jim combi fast enough get on it immediately

spk_0 And then they fire the attorney and I gotta pull I want to get there

spk_0 I want to get the actual true social post if I can find you keep talking. I'm gonna look for it. Yeah, yeah, but like

spk_0 Again, it's right in there. So obviously obviously if they're talking about anything it's on her mind, right

spk_0 But but the the thing she said about those posts she did acknowledge that she uh she believes herself to be the Pam in question

spk_0 Um, but uh but beyond that she was like you know, we have the most transparent president in history

spk_0 He wasn't saying anything in those posts that hasn't been kind of his like public-positive position for years, right and like

spk_0 Yeah, that's true like good point like and and that's that's the whole

spk_0 Problem with all of this going back is like yeah, he's doing all of these like insanely corrupt

spk_0 Please prosecute my enemies Pam posts and then it's happening immediately

spk_0 So obviously, you know, it could not be more naked and explicit

spk_0 But also even if he hadn't done that, you know

spk_0 This has been the problem all along is that we have known since the beginning of this administration that Donald Trump's top priority for the Department of Justice

spk_0 Going in before any personnel were announced at all

spk_0 He had this giant problem in his first term with attorneys general who were Republican and even partisan Republicans and even you know pursuing

spk_0 Their their jobs in a partisan Republican way, but who also had sort of the the left over fossilized

spk_0 Remnants of a conviction that the Department of Justice is supposed to be an independent naughty that doesn't just write

spk_0 You're not the president's personal lawyers as the as the attorney general and and instead

spk_0 He's like can't have that we're gonna do a different this time

spk_0 He set up the whole government to function that way and he and that's the government we now have like and it would have worked

spk_0 Exactly the same way even if he hadn't done his pay-um tweet, right?

spk_0 I'm gonna see if we can post the the truth social on on the screen

spk_0 Because it's so good to in retrospect to look back at it

spk_0 I know that the commoner joined her in this came up all the time

spk_0 During the hearing as well

spk_0 We're stopping the weaponization of the Justice Department the real weaponization happened

spk_0 Under Biden and that's because Jack Smith and we'll get into the juxtaposed stuff and the second

spk_0 You know they were dispatched to go off to President Trump as soon as he announced his candidacy presidency

spk_0 Then you know the special counsel and mayor grown all its up. Okay. Here's the here's the post panel

spk_0 I have to look at I mean it's like

spk_0 I'm glad she acknowledged that she probably was the Pam

spk_0 Um, so that's the post that he spoke

spk_0 The thing about the weaponization charge people just kind of skittish mayor Garland like

spk_0 He the reason that he appointed Jack Smith is because he didn't want to be

spk_0 Accused of weaponization like that's precisely the reason he had determined

spk_0 That there's no way that the sitting attorney general should be investigating a presidential candidate

spk_0 the opposing the president's opposing party

spk_0 Uh, because it wouldn't it wouldn't come off as kosher so he that's why he went to Jack Smith

spk_0 People forget he there was a there was an investigation into Hunter Biden under mayor Garland

spk_0 I mean the idea that like

spk_0 This that Pambani would ever undertake or allow a special prosecutor to investigate

spk_0 Don juniors crypto schemes and meme coins is like

spk_0 Propostris. It's absurd. It's absurd. Yeah, I mean the whole thing the whole thing just makes you want to bang your head against the wall right

spk_0 This is what special councils are for the whole point not to go and get people it's yeah

spk_0 The only reason you ever appoint a special counsel is if there is a reason why a particular prosecution

spk_0 Shouldn't be run by main justice right like that's like of course if it's a special counsel

spk_0 It is in some way you know like

spk_0 Politically salient or there's some appearance of conflict of interest or something because that's what this

spk_0 That's what the whole policy apparatus of the special council is for and I think Trump

spk_0 I think they just got jaded because when sessions and appoint the special counsel which ended being Robert Mueller like they assume that

spk_0 That was just a deep-state op and yeah, but they got that's because sessions had to recuse himself because he was involved in the

spk_0 Issue of whether or not Russia had you know tried to interfere in the election

spk_0 So in a couple years and a couple years later bill bar appoints john Dunham to as another special counsel

spk_0 Or sorry john Durham thank you to go after or not to go after to look into

spk_0 Whether there was any malfeasance in the launch of that particular investigation, you know and that you know

spk_0 It's all circular. I can't believe you remember all these character names. It's impossible

spk_0 Um we could swap out this screen. I think people have had enough of the true social post um

spk_0 Pam I'm sorry Pam

spk_0 To get on this um, I will say the the jacksmith thing was the was the main Republican

spk_0 Pushback today and what happened was yesterday. They have be I put out a

spk_0 A memo or something. I don't know if I'm categorizing correctly

spk_0 But it basically said while jacksmith was uh had obtained phone records for about eight Republican senators

spk_0 In the lead up to or right after jenuary

spk_0 six and

spk_0 There should be clear the stuff that smith apparently got was not uh

spk_0 The the actual contents of the phone calls themselves was the metadata was you know when the calls were made

spk_0 How long they're made for things like that

spk_0 um

spk_0 There's good reason why jacksmith would want this stuff

spk_0 Because if john trump was organizing a scheme to overturn the election

spk_0 And he was in a enlisting members of congress to help him do that

spk_0 You want to know

spk_0 Founding trump was you know working the phone members of congress like it's like

spk_0 Barely obvious investigative pool, but this was brought up repeatedly today as evident as like a high crime

spk_0 I think uh, you know several Republicans said you know to bond you have to appoint

spk_0 One of the special prosecutor in the schex myth

spk_0 Yeah, I mean, it's all just sort of fruit of the poison tree right where where like yeah, I would like to live in a world where you don't have

spk_0 Prosecutors looking into uh, you know the the phone

spk_0 Of lawmakers that seems like a possible like a location for corruption and abuse and things like that

spk_0 Um in order to get to that world, I would really like to live in a world where

spk_0 Prosecutor's done a probable cause to do that

spk_0 You know like

spk_0 We're

spk_0 Sitting presidents are not

spk_0 Committing brazenly criminal behavior and call it work on the phones

spk_0 Calling all their buddies in all their you know sort of stewed lawmakers to see if they can enlist their help to do that

spk_0 I mean like come on like it's all

spk_0 It's all amazing. It's all amazing. Yeah

spk_0 It's all really good stuff. We're all really happy. We're in a good place

spk_0 Very happy uh at one point judge holly said his phone had been tapped that was not not the case as far as we know

spk_0 Um

spk_0 Good old Josh holly so yeah, I guess um

spk_0 I don't know. Do you have anything else you want to talk about here because I think we covered a lot of there's like the fair bit of

spk_0 Epstein related stuff Derban asked him about that but

spk_0 No again, we come back to the thing pan body just refused to talk about anything she didn't want to talk about

spk_0 But is there any larger thing you want to take away here? Yeah, I don't know like one second on Epstein was it what was the Epstein question

spk_0 I think it was gerban really early on where where and please correct me got this wrong

spk_0 Clip four were about the about the desk thing sitting on the desk and she was like let's play clip four

spk_0 That's a good jumping off point while you collect your thoughts. Sure

spk_0 But this was digs er have been talking about Epstein the Epstein client list was quote sitting on my desk right now for review

spk_0 End of quote you then produce already public information and no client list at a major media event hosted at the White House

spk_0 Attorney general bindi. Why did you publicly claim to have the Epstein client list waiting for your review and then produce nothing relevant to that claim

spk_0 Senator Derban

spk_0 Senator Derban if you listen to my entire clip on that I said I had not reviewed it yet that it was sitting on my desk

spk_0 Along with the JFK files the Martin Luther King files and I said I had not yet reviewed it

spk_0 And if you see our memo on Epstein you will see

spk_0 Excuse me our memo and Epstein clearly points out that there was no client list our July 6th memo

spk_0 Yeah, the the most into obviously that's interesting the the the slightly more interesting moment clip five

spk_0 I don't think we haven't uploaded but I'll just read it here. It's fine

spk_0 This is still Derban Derban asks you pushed the FBI to review approximately a hundred thousand Epstein related records to flag any documents that

spk_0 mentioned President Trump who gave the order to flag any records which included Trump's name and bindi's response was just

spk_0 I'm not gonna discuss anything about that with you

spk_0 Yeah, no, it's prevalent not I you you don't know the right to ask me that I mean literally just not gonna answer that one

spk_0 Sorry dick

spk_0 And she she did it again when I think it was Derban again who was like or maybe someone else was like the FBI find photographs of Donald Trump with

spk_0 quote half naked women in the Epstein investigation

spk_0 And she just refuses to answer now look it could be that that's her policy I'm not answering any questions

spk_0 But when you refuse to answer that question it's like you have to live with consequences of refusing to answer the question

spk_0 Can't leave it out there in the open it really isn't saying how they have run this whole

spk_0 Epstein again, I can I continue to I gotta be I continue to come back with this these people in the White House think that they have like this grand

spk_0 Strategic vision for how to run you know all this politics whether it's the shutdown the Epstein stuff

spk_0 Tom Homan whatever and it's always you know fuck you know

spk_0 And I don't think it works. I think they have this or about them that they're just steamroll and everyone and yeah

spk_0 They're again a lot but they want but like I'm not sure. It's like the smartest play. I'm just not sure

spk_0 We're gonna who mad I'm here on YouTube and they're running the country

spk_0 Yeah, JBL is gonna come like parachuteing in to the frame right behind you. He's like it's working

spk_0 It's doing fine. We're all doomed

spk_0 We're so screwed shut up Sam. All right. Well, I'm good. I'm good living it there. I thought it was a really

spk_0 Look do what do we get from this hearing not much because they don't give us much to get but it's

spk_0 It does say a lot in a weird way about just how bad things are

spk_0 How and again, I come back to my original point

spk_0 The repub it was for me was the Republicans on the committee who could have used that opportunity not to like score points

spk_0 But do at least get some decent answers to some really relevant questions and to at least show that they care about these things

spk_0 The one person who kind of had a pulse was Tom Tillis towards the end

spk_0 He was like well, you know deploying national guard to Chicago like

spk_0 But his whole thing was like well, you know, it's just you know whacking them all like you can solve the problem

spk_0 But eventually they have to leave and then the problem comes back and it's like that's really not the issue Tom

spk_0 He had an okay like like his it was obviously very like Republican coded in ways that I think you roll our eyes out

spk_0 But the the basic premise of his question was like aren't these

spk_0 Local places aren't these cities issues to solve if a city has a crime problem?

spk_0 Isn't it basically incumbent on that city to solve it and the answer is pretty much

spk_0 Yeah, in terms of the actual crime fighting authority like obviously, you know the federal government can help in various ways

spk_0 But as far as like who is going out and arresting people in the streets

spk_0 Yeah, it's a it's up to local law enforcement to do that and I thought that was good from Tillis

spk_0 That's fine. Yeah, but again, there's just not just not that much of it. Yeah, like one one 15 second or one two minute

spk_0 And I think I do think it matter like think like having Republicans to say you know what I like Tom Homan

spk_0 Good guy really appreciate what he's doing. I'm happy like that the borders under control and that we're doing all this deportations love it

spk_0 But like I do need to know like did he sell government contracts to the highest better like that matters

spk_0 And I wish we lived in a world where at least one Republican said that but we don't

spk_0 That's that

spk_0 All right, buddy. Thank you for watching this you're gonna be right about this Tom. Yeah, man. Why not? I already watched it

spk_0 Yeah, who would want to work more

spk_0 I ever read Andrew's morning shots tomorrow is gonna cover this for that I will say subscribe to the YouTube feed here

spk_0 We are closing in on 1.5 million

spk_0 1.5 million YouTube subscribers. That is insane. I love it

spk_0 Become the 1.5 million subscriber. There is no prize, but the the amount of

spk_0 The amount of comfort I have talking into this stupid camera versus like the amount of like anxiety

spk_0 I would feel getting up on stage and run like 200 people. They're really this proportionate

spk_0 Lives a different different piece. I understand why I was wondering like do you get anxious going on TV versus this stupid webcam

spk_0 But no, this is great subscribe to this feed subscribe to our

spk_0 Substock feed too. That's the most important one because we want people to support the journal is a mission

spk_0 For the bullwork in a direct subsaps substacks subscription is the best way to do it

spk_0 We really appreciate that we're expanding here. I don't feel all so we saw we hired Catherine

spk_0 Repel previously the Washington Post were doing great things here and of course we are employing Andrew

spk_0 still

spk_0 But if you support that subscribe to the

spk_0 If you don't support it keep it to yourself. Yeah, exactly. All right. Take care everyone talk to you later

AG Pam Bondi Faces the Senate in Chaotic Hearing

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