Pam Bondi Offers Six Words When Challenged on Arrest of Wisconsin Judge
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi had a swift response when pressed about the arrest of a Wisconsin judge accused of throwing federal agents off the trail of an illegal migrant they were pursuing.
Appearing on Fox News’ America Reports Friday, Bondi was asked by anchor John Roberts how she plans to respond to critics who will take issue with the arrest of a judge as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy.
“You know what critics will say,” Roberts said. “They’ll say this is a government that is expanding the powers of Article I of the Constitution, now they’re arresting judges. How do you respond to that?”
“No one is above the law,” Bondi answered quickly.
She added: “If you are destroying evidence, if you are obstructing justice when you have victims sitting in a courtroom of domestic violence and you’re escorting a criminal defendant out a back door, it will not be tolerated and it is a crime in the United States of America. Doesn’t matter who you are, you’ll be prosecuted.”
Read the exchange here:
JOHN ROBERTS: Let me if I could, madam attorney general, come back to the Wisconsin case and Judge Hanna Dugan. In allegedly letting the person perpetrator and the attorney out through a nonpublic exit and allowed them to get out in front of the building, we had a situation where we’ve seen — that I know Tom Homan was complaining about in Colorado where there would be no transfer of a defendant from a jail to ice custody on a detainer request in a way that was orderly and protected public safety. They would dump them off in a parking lot and ICE would have to chase them around with the DEA or FBI and pick them up. This ended up in a foot chase in public sight. It says here a foot chase ensued. This was a DEA agent, and FBI agent pursued Ruiz for the entire length of the courthouse, ultimately apprehended him near the intersection of West State street and 10th Street. So is the judge has created a situation here where you have a public foot chase. And we all know that sometimes they can be — can come out off without incident. They can also turn in to dangerous situations.
PAM BONDI: John, that’s right. She put the lives of our law enforcement officers at risk. She put the lives of citizens at risk. A street chase, which is absurd that that had to happen. Yes, she put a lot of people at danger, in danger. That judge did it, so did the other judge, judge Cano is charged with — they were allegedly giving him assault rifles, AK-47s, AR-15s with a suppresser, a known TDA member, letting him go to a shooting range to refine and perfect his shooting skills. What has happened to our judiciary is beyond me.
SANDRA SMITH: When the American public hears this and they were once outstanding people in their communities, and their professions and they put it on the line for this. Have you dug in to their motive? What inspired to carry out these acts and harbor criminals?
BONDI: They’re deranged is all I can think of. I cannot believe… Some of these judges think they’re above the law. They are not. We’re sending a very strong message today, if you are harboring a fugitive, if you’re helping hide one, if you’re giving a TdA member guns, anyone who is illegally in this country, we will come after you and prosecute you. We’ll find you.
ROBERTS: If I can finish up with this idea. Very significant development that you’re arresting judges now. Could be that the judges have engaged in terribly bad behavior and deserve to be arrested. But you know what critics will say. They’ll say this is a government that is expanding the powers of Article I of the Constitution, now they’re arresting judges. How do you respond to that?
BONDI: No one is above the law, John. No one is above the law in this country. And if you are destroying evidence, if you are obstructing justice when you have victims sitting in a courtroom of domestic violence and you’re escorting a criminal defendant out a back door, it will not be tolerated and it is a crime in the United States of America. Doesn’t matter who you are, you’re gonna be prosecuted.
Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested Friday after allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant “evade” federal agents, FBI director Kash Patel said in a now-deleted social media post.
According to the now-vanished statement, Dugan “intentionally misdirected federal agents away from” an immigrant they were actively pursuing.
The reported move comes as the Trump administration cracks down on so-called “sanctuary” behavior by local officials and as judiciary battles over the deportation policy.
Watch above via Fox News.
