Trump AG Bondi Lashes Out Wildly After Dem Confronts Her On Hiring Pro-Trump Rioter

Trump Attorney General Pam Bondi lashed out wildly at routine questions after Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) confronted her for hiring a pro-Trump rioter who was pardoned for felonies by President Donald Trump.

The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing Wednesday entitled “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice” at which Bondi lashed out at Democratic members and repeatedly bristled when members reclaimed their time. She appeared to have prepared jabs to attack members whose questions angered her.

When the committee returned from recess, Neguse played video of Jared Wise — now a senior Justice Department adviser — participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Bondi curtly acknowledged Wise’s current position and the fact that Trump pardoned him. She then began attacking Neguse after each question in a series of exchanges that ended with Neguse telling committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) to “Gain control of this hearing!”:

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): Attorney General Bondi, that man works for you now.

ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: Who was that, congressman?

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): The man in that video, the one who was in the police worn body cam footage, the one allegedly yelling “kill them” at police officers on January 6th, his name is Jared Wise.

ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: He does work for us.

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): He works for you at the Department of Justice.

ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: Yes. He Does.

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): This is an individual whom a federal grand jury indicted for two felonies and four misdemeanors related to his participation in the attack on January 6th. One of those charges was forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with police with the intent to commit another felony.

This is who you choose, as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the United States of America, to hire at the Department of Justice. Someone on video yelling “kill him” at police officers? Right?

ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: I believe he was pardoned by President Trump.

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): Oh, he was PARDONED! You’re right. Pardoned by President Trump for his offense, pardoned for yelling kill him at police officers.

And yet you expect hardworking police officers across the country to believe that you take law enforcement seriously.

You could imagine the reaction of so many folks across the county. The chief law enforcement officer of the United States, refuse to even condemn what that individual whom you’ve now hired did.

But in any event, let’s talk a little bit about some of the other divisions within the Department of Justice and what’s happened over the last year. You’re familiar with the public integrity section of the DOJ’s criminal division. I think it’s referred to as PIN. Do you know which presidential administration under which the pin was first created?

ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: I can tell you what administration that the weaponization was ended under–.

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): I’ll reclaim my time. This wasn’t a trick question.

ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: You don’t get to reclaim your time!

ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: Madam Attorney General. It was.

ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: Because I don’t like–.

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D_MD): Mr. Chairman, I don t explain to the witness that he does reclaim his time.

ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: Because I don’t t answer a question to your satisfaction?

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): Madam Attorney General, the time belongs to the gentleman from Colorado. The president under which PIN was created was Gerald Ford. It was created after Watergate. I’m not asking a question, Madam Attorney General. The administration under which it was created, was Gerald Ford. When you first started as the Attorney General of the United States, there were 35 people working in that office. There are now two people working that office because you have gutted it. How many people work for the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team in the criminal division today?

ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: Can I answer the question about PIN?

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): I’ve asked you a question. How many people work- You’ve asked me-

ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: You’ve asked me a question, but you don’t know the answer. How many people work for the National Cryptocurrency

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): You won’t answer how many.

ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: I’ll answer pin

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): You know what actually you know what I’ll see to the chairman.

ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: What’s funny about this?

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): You know, what the answer is and I think I understand why the general does not want to answer the question because you eliminated the National cryptocurrency enforcement team last year. So I understand why you don’t want to tell the American people who works there?

ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI: (OVERTALKS).

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D_MD): Will you stop the clock so his time is not wasted by the witness?

REPRESENTATIVE JIM JORDAN (R-OH): I’ve been very generous with allowing extra time when we have these little disputes.

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): I might as well ask the chairman these questions.

REPRESENTATIVE JIM JORDAN (R-OH): I’d be happy to answer some of your questions.

REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): What’s profound, the questions I’ve asked. The crime in your district. The questions I asked, Mr Chairman, are not trick questions. They’re not gotcha questions. They’re actually basic questions about how the Department of Justice functions and the unwillingness of this attorney general to answer them.

In good faith, when a member of Congress asks. “How many people work at the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team,” and the Attorney General refuses to answer it, it is not a coincidence.

It’s because she eliminated the team. Why?

Because her boss, the President of the United States, is making money hand over fist. $1.4 billion over the course of the last year through cryptocurrency holdings. I think what is happening at the Department of Justice is a disgrace, Mr. Chairman.

And I would urge you to gain control of this hearing!

Watch above via the House Judiciary Committee.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!