Pam Bondi Fails to Make Her Case
4/8/202642 min
The New Yorker contributing writer Ruth Marcus joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss Pam Bondi’s removal from her post as Attorney General. They examine the series of missteps and failures that led to her firing—from her continued mishandling of the Jeffrey Epstein files to her inability to effectively carry out Donald Trump’s efforts to target his political enemies. They also explore the long-term damage Bondi has done to the Department of Justice, and whether her ouster—alongside Kristi Noem’s dismissal as Secretary of Homeland Security—signals a new era of shakeups within the Trump Administration.
This week’s reading:
- “Pam Bondi’s Legacy of Flattery and Destruction,” by Ruth Marcus
- “A U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Is Here, but Trump’s Stone Age Mentality Endures,” by Ishaan Tharoor
- “Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted?,” by Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz
- “How the Internet Fringe Infiltrated Republican Politics,” by Antonia Hitchens
- “The Forest Service—a Force Across Rural America—‘Reorganizes’ Under Trump,” by Bill McKibben
The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.
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Tyler Foggatt· Host1:12
[gentle music] Hi, Ruth.
Ruth Marcus· Guest1:20
Hi, how are you?
Tyler Foggatt· Host1:21
I'm good. Thank you so much for being here.
Ruth Marcus· Guest1:23
My pleasure.
Tyler Foggatt· Host1:24
When you look back on Pam Bondi's tenure as US attorney general,