Pam Bondi dealt nightmare blow after disaster hearing - Another Day - Brian Tyler Cohen

[TexasTowelie]

BTC: Pam Bondi shows America how much she cares about Jeffrey Epstein's victims. Little hint, not so much. This is just another day.

With the Epstein files continuing to dominate the public consciousness, mostly because half of the guys in Trump's orbit seem to have been friends with him. Today, another member of the administration sauntered up to Capitol Hill to testify. And uh let's just say it was quite the grilling.

(cut to video)
Rep. Michael Baumgartner: How are you guys getting this stuff so right?

(cut to studio)
BTC: Finally, someone with a pair of balls. That's Republican Congressman Michael Baumgartner dropping the bomb on Pam Bondi. Gosh, it is so refreshing to see a politician tap into what Americans are feeling about this DOJ's handling of the Epstein files. It's just unfortunate that he didn't have enough time to hit the AG with this hard-hitting follow-up question. Do you prefer world's greatest attorney general or America's favorite attorney general?

But while that was the essence of the Republican line of questioning today, on the Democratic side, things were um slightly less solicitous.

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Rep. Ted Lieu: I want to know, were there any underage girls at that party or at any party that Trump attended with Jeffrey Epstein?

Bondi: This is so ridiculous.

(cut to studio)
BTC: So ridiculous. I mean to even suggest that Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein had some untoward relationship is not only insulting but stretches the bounds of credulity. It is the most outrageous preposterous farcical insinuation that frankly I've ever come across in all my days as an attorney.

And if you thought Pam Bondi's frustration and exhaustion from being questioned about the Epstein file stopped there, then you probably also believe these two barely knew each other. (photo of Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell displayed)

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Rep. Deborah Ross: Can you tell us who sent her there since you don't agree she should be there?

Bondi: I said I do not agree she should receive special treatment. But you know instead of talking about Ghislaine Maxwell who hopefully will die in prison hopefully will die in prison. You should be talking about Arena Zerutka.

Rep. Ross: I have a couple of

Bondi: …who died on a subway.

Rep. Ross: Right. And I absolutely…

Bondi: But you don't talk about that.

Rep. Ross: I have been talking about it and actually helping with these issues. But we're going to move back to you.

Bondi: I bet we are. Yes, of course, because you're here to testify.

(cut to studio)
BTC: I'm starting to think Pam Bondi is unclear as to why she's been asked to testify. That's like being in a performance review with your boss and going, "Oh, so I guess we're going to make this all about me then." The only difference being, "We pay this employee salary."

While many watched today as Democrats rightfully rake the attorney general over the coals for her handling of the Epstein files, we also got a stark reminder of the sheer volume of these files and how many times certain people's names appear.

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Rep. Moskowitz: Kash Patel under oath said Trump's name appears less than a hundred times in the files. We now know that's not true. Trump's name appears more times in the Epstein files than God's name appears in the book about God.

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BTC: That's crazy. Even crazier, God's name also appears in the Epstein Files. Hey Jeff, on the seventh day I'm supposed to rest, but nothing helps me rest like a massage. Boy, these men in power really think they can get away with anything.

Bondi was grilled about so many specific names, videos, and redactions today. I bet she almost found it refreshing when she got to answer a pretty basic question.

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Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove: Do you believe that President Trump is honest?

Bondi: He is the commander-in-chief of the United States of America and not only is Trump this country safe, he is keeping this world safe.

Rep. Kamlager-Dove: Simple question.

Bondi: Of course I do. He is the commander-in-chief.

(cut to studio)
BTC: That's right. He is the commander-in-chief. I mean, who would question the truthfulness of one of those?

(cut to video from 2023 Fox News segment)
Bondi: Joe Biden had countless pseudonyms in the White House, over 82,000 emails. It's unbelievable what was happening. So, yeah, there's a lot of evidence um to incriminate them.

(cut to studio)
BTC: I suppose she's talking about Biden being incriminating for his brutal honesty. After all, he is the commander-in-chief, and only a partisan hack would try and infer otherwise.

But one of the biggest takeaways from today's testimony on the Epstein files was Bondie's willingness to talk about anything besides that.

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Bondi: The reason that that she wants to continue to talk about Minnesota, which we will all day long, is she doesn't want to talk about her own jurisdiction in Atlanta because she doesn't want to talk about Christopher Welch who traveled across state lines to try to meet and nothing's funny about this to meet and molest a 14 year-old girl in Georgia.

(cut to studio)
BTC: Yes. Instead of bringing any information that could have been helpful today, apparently Pam Bondi came with opposition research. One reporter saw multiple binders that appeared to be organized by tabs with Democratic names on them. This administration just loves to divert attention. I'm surprised Turning Point USA didn't have counterprogramming to Bondi's hearing. You know, just Limp Bizkit and three country stars no one's ever heard of performing for 12 hours on the steps of the Capitol.

But if I had to pick a favorite moment from today's testimony, it would have to be this one.

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Bondi: He is the most transparent president in the nation's history. And none of them, none of them ask Merrick Garland over the last four years one word about Jeffrey Epstein. How ironic is that? You know why? Because Donald Trump, the Dow, the Dow right now is over the Dow is over 50,000. I don't know why you're laughing. You're a great stock trader as I hear Raskin. The Dow is over 50,000 right now.

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BTC: That's right. Why are we talking about raping and sex trafficking when the Dow is over 50,000 right now? Oh, there's more.

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Bondi: The S&P at almost 7,000 and the NASDAQ smashing records. Americans 401ks and retirement savings are booming.

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BTC: Honestly, I think this is a great tactic to anybody out there looking for a good retort when you find yourself in a bind. Honey, why are we still talking about you walking in on me having sex with another woman when the markets are booming? Sure, I guess we could focus on my rampant infidelity or we could celebrate those record highs across all sectors. Oh, your blood pressure is rising. How about the fact that it's not rising as much as wages? And don't even talk about my former transgressions at that Broadway musical. That was merely the invisible hand of the market visibly be going up and down at a feverish pace.

Look, to be perfectly fair, Pam Bondi did address the Epstein victims in the room today.

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Bondi: I want to take a moment to acknowledge the Epstein survivors who are here today.

I am deeply sorry for what any victim, any victim has been through, especially as a result of that monster. If you have any information to share with law enforcement about anyone who has hurt you or abused you, the FBI is waiting to hear from you.

(cut to studio)
BTC: It's funny you should mention that.

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Rep. Lieu: Just by show of hands, how many of you or your loved ones actually have met with the Department of Justice and provided testimony and estimate and uh evidence? None.

And of those of you who have not met, which is everyone, how many of you have reached out either individually or through a lawyer or representative to offer to provide testimony and evidence? All of them.

(cut to studio)
BTC: That's right. I believe this is what happens when you're an Epstein victim and you call the DOJ these days.

(cut to DOJ phone line)
Recording: The mailbox is full and cannot accept any messages at this time. Goodbye.

(cut to studio)
BTC: It is actions like that which makes today's hearing so offensive. It would be bad enough if Pam Bondi simply sat there and defended the cozy relationship between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, but to gaslight Epstein's victims to pretend that she cares about truth and justice--that is simply incomprehensible. Pam Bondi wouldn't even turn around and look at these women she claims to so deeply sympathize with. But I guess once you've ignored their calls for a year, what's one more day of ignoring them in person?

I know that our country has become very used to these deeply partisan hearings where a member of the administration gets grilled by the opposing team, but it doesn't always have to be this way. There are certain issues most Americans actually agree on. One being that rapists should be held accountable. A recent poll found only 6% of Americans were satisfied with the with the amount of Epstein files released so far. Now, I don't know who those 6% are, but I'm pretty sure a lot of them are in this picture right here. (photo of top Cabinet officials and Trump displayed)

Did anybody really expect Pam Bondi to hand over every file at her disposal today? To unredact the names of every rich white guy Epstein was involved with, to vow to interrogate every individual who ever came into contact with him? I don't think so. But is it really that far-fetched to imagine her turning around and just acknowledging the suffering of these women? Or better yet, can you imagine how stunning it would have been if she just said, "I'd like to use my time today to sit with the victims behind me and see how I can help." People's heads would have exploded. But instead, it was merely another day of a Trump administration official protecting the co-conspirators. Another day of this administration spending more time deflecting and defending rather than simply pursuing justice. Honestly, how do they sleep at night? How do they show their faces in public on a daily basis? And uh one last question…

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Michael Baumgartner: How are you guys getting this stuff so right?

(cut to studio)
BTC: Sure.