AG Pam Bondi Claps Back at Bitter Dem Congresswoman in Epic Congressional Face-Off

If you watch public congressional hearings where lawmakers call in administration officials and grill them, you already know that it’s 90 percent theater and 10 percent actually accomplishing anything useful. 

And that’s being generous.

To be fair, both Democrats and Republicans engage in this drama, and they often hector the witnesses with questions and then interrupt them when they attempt to answer. Nevertheless, being a conservative, I admit to finding it highly enjoyable watching Louisiana GOP Sen. John Kennedy routinely force liberals to make absolute fools out of themselves—just by quoting their own words—in front of the nation.

On Monday, it was Pam Bondi’s turn to sit in the hot seat, and hoo boy, did things get heated when an aggrieved Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) 

 

tried to embarrass the attorney general at a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (that’s quite the mouthful). Bondi wasn't having it, and was giving it as good as she was getting it—but she could barely contain her laughter as the congresswoman embarrassed herself.

There were a number of tense moments, but perhaps the best came after Dean called Bondi incompetent. Bondi launched a firebomb in response:

“You want to talk about incompetence? You’re the one that said Joe Biden, on PBS, was competent! You had to retract those words, so don’t talk to me, don’t insult me publicly.”

It would seem to me that she has an excellent point there.

---

Related: Bondi: Abrego Garcia 'Traded the Innocence of Minor Children for Profit'

Attorney General Bondi Kicks American Bar Association to the Curb

---

There was plenty more heat, but another Bondi smackdown stood out to me as she stood up to the extremely harried Rep. Dean. The Pennsylvania lawmaker called the AG unprofessional and repeatedly asked her questions about legal advice she gave to President Trump. Bondi in turn said over and over that she was unable to discuss such private legal advice. But Dean would not let up.

Finally Bondi let her have it.

“I will not discuss any advice that my Office of Legal Counsel gives to the president of the United States on any matter … And talking about unprofessional, you say the president wanted the [Qatar] jet because it’s pretty?” Bondi said. “Come on. This is a congressional hearing.”

Performances like these often seem pointless to the casual observer, and I can certainly see why. Most lawmakers just want their soundbite and actually have no interest whatsoever in what the witness has to say.

But they can be awfully entertaining. To me, watching Bondi (figuratively) spank this unfortunate “Karen” into oblivion is solid theater indeed.