Bye-Bye Bondi?

Trump treats his second cabinet different than his first

I just learned of Pam Bondi’s dismissal as Attorney General. Hers will not go down as the most corrupted DOJ in American history; expect it to be exceeded by her successors’.

Image: axios.com

I knew her days were numbered, when she mishandled obscuring the Epstein files by stupidly denying there was a client list, rather than parroting the boss’s, “in two weeks” trope, and changing the subject.

Shark Sightings

That’s where the Trump tax returns went to die—a promise to reveal them, followed by nothing.

So why did Attorney General Pam Bondi even mention Jeffrey Epstein, months later?

We may never understand her motivation to voice an outright denial there is “an Epstein client list,” especially after she had been talking like there was one “on my desk.” In fact, those were her exact words.

While the MAGA faithful were being instructed at that time to no longer be concerned about the files, Bondi’s denial fractured Trump supporters, driving skeptical, conspiracy-minded to conclude a coverup was happening. The fracture hit the neofascist media cells, with those who once agreed with fellow podcasters Dan Bongino and Kash Patel questioning what they might be hiding, as the new heads of the FBI. Trump’s decision to keep the Epstein files hidden was forced into the open, in the form of him deflecting from the matter.

Marjorie Taylor Greene and fellow moralist, Representative Nancy Mace, would later sign onto Thomas Massie’s petition (as did Lauren Boebert, though she is far from a moralist) to expose the Epstein files. This bought Greene Trump’s wrath, and he chased her out of Congress, conveniently on the very day her pension kicked in.

But back in mid-July, we only knew that Pam Bondi made a huge mistake by making a falsifiable claim. Faith and loyalty do not need material evidence for their sustenance—if it does anything, the empirical world destroys faith with its materiality.

I figured we would not be long with AG Bondi, that she would go the way of ersatz AG Jeff Sessions, whose spontaneous disclosure of a Trump campaign meeting with Russians in Trump Tower resulted in his dismissal. She lasted longer than I thought she would;

Scapegoats and Placeholders

For much of his first term and through the 2024 campaign, Trump talked of utilizing the Department of Justice as his own law firm in both civil and criminal matters. He has the Attorney General he wants, right now, but she left him exposed by contradicting herself so directly on the Epstein matter. There has been some movement on “releasing” the files among Republicans in Congress which should quell the MAGA members who did not buy the re-spin (These aren’t the files you’re looking for).

The White House proved incapable of managing its own messaging regarding Jeffrey Epstein—everything short of turning over tapes and documents was just going to make it look like they were trying to cover things up. For the first time, the Trump administration resembled the Carter administration during the Iranian hostage crisis—there was nothing they could do to change public perception; even the rescue mission failed.

We will see if a new set of weekdays will keep finding this topic relevant, and if so, Pam Bondi’s days as AG are few.

Bondi weathered the dog-days of August, while Congress was out of session, and Donald Trump held a personal get-together with his good friend and actual richest-guy-in-the-world, Vladimir Putin. Shortly after the well-publicized meeting, Trump completely disappeared for a week, leading to speculation as to his health. Some thought he may have died, and the White House was covering it up.

Did Pam Bondi Kill Donald Trump?

Dispelling with democratic institutions means rulers have to be removed by other means, when the time comes. While Putin certainly had the motive and Trump gave him the opportunity, in the end, we may find the Trump Presidency was killed by his Attorney General. Her certitude about there being no Files brought Jeffrey Epstein back to life as the zombie stalking Trump.

Since Trump returned to the public eye in early September, the White House has reported nothing but good news regarding his health. Physical therapists who work with stroke patients have noted the right side of Trump’s face has drooped, and he has begun swinging his right leg when he walks, much like one who suffered a stroke on the left side of their brain would.

Temporal Constraints

Pam Bondi’s definitive declaration and obvious lie cut off the future and locked this matter into an eternal present that will not be resolved by simply telling people to pay attention to something else. Reports are she assigned scads of FBI agents to flag documents in the Epstein files that mention Trump. Whatever will be presented will be for the sake of holding MAGA together, but not convincing the general public of anything.

It is practically a tradition in the Republican party that when the time comes for someone to lose their job to make their superiors appear to be doing something, that if a woman fits the bill, she gets priority. So it is not a surprise that the second member of the Trump Cabinet v. 2.0 to be shown the door would also be one of the few women who had been put on the cabinet. Like with Kristi Noem, Bondi will be replaced by a white man. Linda McMahon needs to watch out.

But I suspect that Pam Bondi will not land far from the White House. There are Supreme Court Justices (Thomas, Alito) who are approaching their mandatory retirements. They may even be convinced to retire before dying by the promise Trump has successor who has shown herself to be even more corrupted than they are.

For the time being, and until the Senate gets around to actually doing business again, Trump’s personal attorney Todd Blanche will manage the Epstein files coverup and political persecutions.