Bombshell Report Alleges Stephen Miller Is Running the Show at DOJ While Pam Bondi Is Playing the Part ‘Like an Actor’
LEFT: Pam Bondi (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) RIGHT: Stephen Miller (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
A bombshell report from The New York Times suggests that despite her title, Attorney General Pam Bondi is hardly running the show at the Department of Justice.
According to the Times, Bondi “sees her role as that of a surrogate, a faithful executor and high-volume messenger, compelled to cede ground to empowered players in the West Wing.”
“The decisions are being made at the White House, and then they’re being pushed down to the Department of Justice, which is very, very atypical,” observed DOJ alum Elizabeth Oyer. “It feels like she is just performing a part. She is like an actor, in a way.”
The Times story emphasized the influence wielded by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, whom it identified as helping set “the agenda” for Bondi’s department.
“It was clear from the start that Mr. Miller, who is not a lawyer, would exercise control inside the department, current and former Trump aides said,” observed the Gray Lady. “Ms. Bondi has been consulted on key decisions, including how to respond to a federal judge’s order to return immigrants deported to El Salvador with no due process. She does not appear to have played a major role in creating overall strategies, focusing on aligning her department with the game plan and framing attacks on opponents, current and former officials said. By contrast, her two longest-tenured predecessors, William P. Barr and Merrick B. Garland, played more central roles. Mr. Barr, while supportive of Mr. Trump’s agenda, notably refused to comply with his demand to support lies about the election.”
Miller reportedly was vocal about his opposition to the nomination of Chad Chronister, a Florida county sheriff, to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration on the advice of Bondi. Chronister later withdrew his name from consideration amid criticism from conservative activists.
The Times story comes two weeks after Axios reported that Miller has a strong chance of eventually landing the job of national security adviser because of his work running the Homeland Security Council and status as one of Trump’s “longest-serving and most-trusted aides.”
