Clarence Page: Attorney General Pam Bondi shows loyalty to her audience of one
Let’s hear a word of praise for the ordinary citizens who have called for an end to the too-often reckless invasions of American cities by federal agents carrying out President Donald Trump’s crusade against undocumented immigrants.
I am moved by the courage and patriotism of those who have come out on the streets, sometimes in awesome numbers, to demand investigations into and accountability for recent allegations of misconduct by officers of the Department of Homeland Security in Minneapolis, Chicago and elsewhere. These events were spotlighted last week in hearings in the House Judiciary Committee.
Then there’s U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who, as is often said about the dramatis personae of the executive branch these days, plays to “an audience of one,” namely the president, and her actions and demeanor have descended to such a low standard that the Department of Justice approaches a staffing crisis.
To see why, consider Bondi’s House testimony on Wednesday. She came into the hearing against a backdrop of recrimination between a presidential administration and the opposition party the depth and rancor of which has not been seen since the Watergate era.
Team Trump faced a number of problems, including its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, the failed attempt to indict six Democratic lawmakers, and the killing of two protesters by federal officers in Minneapolis last........
