Maddow Blog-Why a House Democrat was right to accuse AG Pam Bondi of being 'very unprofessional'

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Last edited Tue Jun 24, 2025, 03:11 PM - Edit history (1)

When Bondi acts more like a political operative than an attorney general, she doesn’t just damage her own reputation — she also undermines her office.

The problem isn’t just that AG Pam Bondi too often sounds like a partisan operative.

The problem is also that she too often sounds like a *terrible* operative, who isn't even good at performative partisanship. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-06-24T15:51:32.833Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/pam-bondi-house-committee-qatar-rcna214729

To be sure, there was some discussion along predictable lines — exchanges, for example, over proposed FBI cuts and Bondi’s intention to eliminate the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) — but as NBC News noted, there were also some unexpected fireworks.

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s remarks about Rep. Madeleine Dean and former President Joe Biden at a House hearing today prompted Dean, D-Pa., to call Bondi ‘very strange and very unprofessional.’ The exchange included Dean asking Bondi if she had ever been registered as an agent of a foreign principal — referring to when Bondi lobbied for the government of Qatar — to which the attorney general referenced a 2024 interview in which Dean said Biden should remain the Democratic candidate in the 2024 election

.

The underlying issue is of some significance. Bondi used to work as a registered lobbyist for foreign clients, including the government of Qatar — the same government that recently gave Donald Trump a jet. The Republican lawyer — the first attorney general in U.S. history ever to have served as a foreign lobbyist — was directly involved in the arrangement, signing off on the legality of the Qatari “gift.”

When Dean asked Bondi about her professional background, the attorney general responded by complaining about the former president and the Democratic congresswoman’s pre-election defense of Biden.

https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3lscd7echp42q

Link to tweet

At the same hearing, Democratic Rep. Joseph Morelle of New York asked about the scope of the president’s pardons for Jan. 6 rioters. Bondi responded by talking about Biden pardoning his son.

bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3lsccnvpaub2g

Link to tweet

Morelle’s question was substantive and of ongoing legal significance. The attorney general could’ve answered it, but she instead acted as if she hadn’t even heard the question, preferring instead to whine again about the former president.

It’s easy to forget, but Bondi is the nation’s chief law enforcement official, not some pundit trying to score points on social media. When she engages in performative partisanship, acting more like a (terrible) political operative than an attorney general, she doesn’t just damage her own reputation — she undermines her office.

[Volaris]

1. The ONLY reason these fools act like this is because they know the GOP control the bench..

It'll be nice watching them try do this in another 18 months when Dems control the House...