Pam Bondi did what embattled attorneys generally do when under siege at Wednesday’s Oversight Committee hearing. She went on offense. She snapped at Thomas Massie. She sparred with Pramila Jayapal. She insulted Jamie Raskin. She defended her handling of the Epstein files with visible irritation and sharp elbows. And in doing so, she may have taken a far more existential risk than any policy misstep: she forgot the audience.

Because these hearings, like so much political theater now, are staged for an audience of one: the great and powerful Donald Trump. So while Bondi thought she was playing the role of loyal defender, her sneering responses and burn book takedowns turned her into something else: the Angry Woman. And that is not something her boss would order from Central Casting.

Bondi heads the Department of Justice under enormous pressure after her botched and chaotic release of the Epstein files. Victims’ advocates have complained about insensitivity. Lawmakers—Democrat and Republican—have complained about opacity. And Trumpworld whispers that loyalty is necessary but not sufficient.........

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