Latest news with #PamBondi
E&E News
a day ago
- Business
- E&E News
Judge in climate case calls Trump EO a ‘piece of evidence'
A South Carolina judge appeared likely to put considerable stock in President Donald Trump's actions to upend climate lawsuits as the court weighs a bid by the oil and gas industry to dismiss a case that would force fossil fuel giants to pay for the costs of global warming. In a hearing Thursday, Circuit Judge Roger Young pointed to Trump's executive order from last month that directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to take 'all appropriate action' to stop roughly two dozen lawsuits by states and cities aimed at making the oil and gas industry pay for damages from storms, flooding and other disasters. It came after the judge took the unusual step in April of asking both sides in the case, filed by the city of Charleston, to give him their opinion on the effects that the executive order could have on the case. 'The president says in his order that these kinds of lawsuits weaken national security,' Young said Thursday during the hearing to consider the industry's motion to dismiss the case. Advertisement The oil and gas industry has argued that the lawsuit raises national security concerns and should be barred under federal law.
CTV News
a day ago
- General
- CTV News
Trump has long warned of a government ‘deep state.' Now in power, he's under pressure to expose it
Attorney General Pam Bondi, right, and FBI Director Kash Patel speak during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) NEW YORK — As he crisscrossed the country in 2024, Donald Trump pledged to supporters that voting him back into the presidency would be 'our final battle.' 'With you at my side, we will demolish the deep state,' he said repeatedly on the campaign trail. 'We will liberate our country from these tyrants and villains once and for all.' Four months into his second term, Trump has continued to stoke dark theories involving his predecessors and other powerful politicians and attorneys — most recently raising the specter of nefarious intent behind former president Joe Biden's use of an autopen to sign papers. The administration has pledged to reopen investigations and has taken steps to declassify certain documents, including releasing more than 63,000 pages of records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Yet many of Trump's supporters say it's not enough. Some who take him at his word are beginning to get restless as they ask why his administration, which holds the keys to chasing down these alleged government secrets, is denying them the evidence and retribution they expected. His Justice Department has not yet arrested hordes of 'deep state' actors as some of his supporters had hoped it would, even as the president has been posting cryptic videos and memes about Democratic politicians. 'People are tired of not knowing,' conservative commentator Damani Felder said on podcaster Tim Pool's show last week. 'We actually demand answers and real transparency. It's not that hard to deliver.' A promise to reveal and dismantle the 'deep state' Trump has long promised to dismantle the 'deep state' — a supposed secret network of powerful people manipulating government decisions behind the scenes — to build his base of support, said Yotam Ophir, a communications professor at the University at Buffalo. 'He built part of this universe, which at the end of the day is a fictional universe,' he said. Now that Trump is in power and has stocked loyalists throughout his administration, his supporters expect all to be revealed. Delivering on that is difficult when many of the conspiracies he alleged aren't real, said Joseph Uscinski, a political scientist who studies conspiracy theories at the University of Miami. To be sure, the president has prioritized retribution in his second administration. He has fired federal workers, installed loyalists in key positions and targeted law firms he disfavors in executive orders. He has ordered the revocation of government security clearances for political rivals and former employees who dissented during his first term. His Justice Department has fired prosecutors who investigated him and scrutinized career FBI agents who investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Even so, Trump's administration hasn't gone as far as many of his supporters would like. They want to see steps taken against people he has long claimed were involved in sinister plots against him, such as former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey. The administration also hasn't offered proof of the ' egregious crimes ' that Trump claims have corrupted the federal government for years. Conspiracy theorists focus on Epstein and Trump's assassination attempt Tensions erupted this month when FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, dismissed two of the unsubstantiated conspiracy theories that have animated Trump's base the most — that financier and sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in a cover-up, and that Trump's attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, was a government plot. 'You know a suicide when you see one, and that's what that was,' Patel said about Epstein's death in a Fox News interview. 'I have seen the whole file,' Bongino added. 'He killed himself.' Conservatives online demanded to see the evidence, pointing to Bongino's past statements as a podcast host, when he suggested the government was hiding information about Epstein. 'No matter who gets elected, you get the same foreign policy, you get the same economic policy, and the Epstein videos remain secret,' right-wing podcaster and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said on his show. 'They told us for months leading up to the Election that it wasn't suicide,' Newsmax host Todd Starnes wrote on X.. 'But now they tell us it was suicide.' He added: 'Pardon me, but what the heck is going on at DOJ?' Attorney General Pam Bondi said this month that FBI officials were poring through 'tens of thousands' of videos related to Epstein and would make more materials public once they took steps to protect the victims. In the same Fox News interview, Bongino and Patel said they had been briefed on the attempted assassination of Trump during a rally in July and there was no explosive conspiracy to be revealed. 'In some of these cases, the 'there' you're looking for is not there,' Bongino said. Skepticism among 'deep state' believers Bongino appeared to try to throw a bone to Trump's base this week when he announced the agency would reopen some prominent cases that have attracted public interest. He said the FBI would investigate the planting of pipe bombs found near the Democratic and Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington the day of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, the leak of the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson draft opinion in 2022 that overturned the constitutional right to abortion and the discovery of cocaine in the White House in 2023. But it wasn't enough for everyone who weighed in on his X account. 'Anything to detract from the Epstein files,' one user replied to his announcement. 'No results,' wrote another. In an interview Thursday on 'Fox & Friends,' Bongino teased that the FBI would soon release video captured outside Epstein's jail cell and materials related to Trump's attempted assassination. He said he understands the public's demands for transparency but called for patience and noted not all information is the FBI's to declassify. That didn't satisfy everyone who wants answers to the conspiracy theories. 'I am convinced that the deep state can only be defeated by God at this point,' Philip Anderson, a right-wing influencer who participated in the riot at the Capitol, wrote Thursday on X. 'Kash Patel, Dan Bongino, and Pam Bondi are completely useless.' Promoting conspiracy theories as a tactic to distract All the while, Trump has continued promoting conspiracy theories on his Truth Social platform and elsewhere. He shared a video this month about mysterious deaths allegedly being linked to the Clinton family and an image of himself with former President Barack Obama with the text, 'ALL ROADS LEAD TO OBAMA, RETRUTH IF YOU WANT MILITARY TRIBUNALS.' Ophir, the University at Buffalo professor, said it's a tactic that distracts Trump's base and helps inoculate him from criticism. 'When something good happens, it's because Trump is great and his agenda is brilliant,' Ophir said. 'When something bad happens, it's because of the Obamas or the Clintons or whatever forces are undermining him from within Washington.' Trump this week fueled newer theories, without sharing evidence, that Biden's use of a mechanical device called an autopen during his presidency meant he didn't sign his executive orders willingly or that aides profited from controlling it. He has called for people who operated it to be charged with 'TREASON.' The narrative has gained momentum on the right because of allegations that Biden's aides covered up his mental and physical decline. Presidents have used autopens for years to sign certain documents. 'Whoever used it was usurping the power of the Presidency, and it should be very easy to find out who that person (or persons) is,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. At least one user of his platform was unimpressed and questioned why Trump and his allies, holding all the power, still didn't have any answers. 'IF IT'S EASY,' the commenter posted. 'WHY HASN'T YOUR ADMINISTRATION FOUND THESE CRIMINAL'S ALREADY.' ___ Ali Swenson, The Associated Press The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
DOJ cutting American Bar Association access to judicial nominees
Attorney General Pam Bondi told the American Bar Association (ABA) Thursday that the Trump administration would no longer cooperate as the organization vets its judicial nominees. In a letter, the Department of Justice (DOJ) accuses the bar association of failing to 'fix the bias in its rating process,' a claim that follows the organization labeling some of President Trump's nominees as unqualified for the bench. 'Unfortunately, the ABA no longer functions as a fair arbiter of nominees' qualifications, and its ratings invariably and demonstrably favor nominees put forth by Democratic administrations,' Bondi wrote in the letter to ABA President William Bay. 'Accordingly, while the ABA is free to comment on judicial nominations along with other activist organizations, there is no justification for treating the ABA differently from such other activist organizations and the Department of Justice will not do so. Specifically, the Office of Legal Policy will no longer direct nominees to provide waivers allowing the ABA access to non-public information, including bar records. Nominees will also not respond to questionnaires prepared by the ABA and will not sit for interviews with the ABA,' she added. The ABA did not respond to a request for comment. The White House took a similar stance during Trump's first term in office. According to Ballotpedia, the ABA rated 264 of Trump's nominees: 187 were rated 'well-qualified,' 67 were rated 'qualified,' and 10 were rated 'not qualified.' Though a small figure, that stands in contrast with other recent administrations, which had at most three unqualified picks during their time in office. The Trump administration has taken a number of actions targeting the ABA. An executive order from Trump directed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to consider whether to suspend the ABA's role as a law school accreditor. The organization also sued over the stripping of grant funding that limited its training programs abroad, as well as another at the Justice Department for victims of domestic and sexual violence. In the DOJ case, the judge found the targeting of the ABA violated the group's first amendment rights. 'The government does not meaningfully contest the merits of the ABA's First Amendment retaliation claim. It points to no deficiencies in the ABA's performance of its grant obligations,' Judge Christopher Cooper, a former President Obama appointee, wrote in the opinion. 'It concedes that similar grants administered by other organizations remain in place. It agrees that bringing a lawsuit is protected by the First Amendment. And it suggests no other cause for the cancellation apart from the sentiments expressed by Deputy Attorney General [Todd] Blanche in his memorandum,' he added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
FBI says to release Jeffrey Epstein video that 'PROVES he killed himself' and wasn't murdered
The FBI has reviewed video footage which confirms Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide, ruling out long-running conspiracy theories that he was murdered. The billionaire financier died in his prison cell on August 10, 2019 while awaiting his trial on sex trafficking charges. His famed little black book was said to contain the names of a host of celebrities and high powered people who could have been implicated in his crimes. When Donald Trump returned to the White House, he signed an executive order which vowed to release documents relating to the child sex trafficker. Attorney General Pam Bondi made good on that promise the following month, releasing what she called 'phase one' of the long-anticipated files. But even MAGA loyalists have been disappointed by the government's inaction on the Epstein files, sparking unrest about whether the truth will ever be made public. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino made an effort to clear the air on Thursday on Fox News, assuring the public 'there's no DNA, there's no audio, there's no fingerprints, there's no suspects, there's no accomplices. 'I just want to be crystal clear on this. I am not asking anyone to believe me. I'm telling you what's there and what isn't,' he said. 'There's just nobody there. So I say to people, if you have a tip, let us know. But... there is nothing. 'There's video clear as day. He's the only person in there and the only person coming out. You can see it.' Bongino vowed to release the video to give voters peace of mind over the incident. 'When you look at the video - and we will release, that's what's taken a while on this. We are working on cleaning it up to make sure you have an enhanced [view],' he said. 'We're going to give the original, so you don't think there were any shenanigans. You're going to see there's no one there but him.' The assertion marked a U-turn for Bongino, who has previously spread his own conspiracy theories about Epstein's untimely passing. He alleged on his podcast last year that former President Bill Clinton is 'knee-deep in this Jeffrey Epstein scandal.' More recently, in February, Bongino said he was 'starting to hear some things about the Jeffrey Epstein files.' He claimed at the time, 'You do not know all the details of this thing, I promise.' Trump has also shared his own skepticism about Epstein's cause of death. He had shared a tweet on his page questioning how the convicted pedophile could have died while on full-time suicide watch. 'How does that happen...' the tweet read, before alleging that Epstein 'had information on Bill Clinton and now he's dead.' But FBI Director Kash Patel shot down theories earlier this month, assuring the public that Epstein died by suicide. Patel then said that everyone has a 'right to their opinion.' 'But as someone who has worked as a public defender, as a prosecutor, who's been in that prison system, who has been at the Metropolitan Detention Center, who's been in segregated housing - You know a suicide when you see one,' he replied. Patel's comments sparked fury from the pedophile's younger brother, Mark Epstein, who told the Daily Mail that Patel, 'wasn't there, he didn't see the body, he didn't see the autopsy. [He has] no idea what the f*** he's talking about.' 'It would be a lot easier for me if I thought it was suicide, but there's a long list of things that point away from it,' he added. The public are still waiting on Bondi's promised 'phase two' of the files after the disappointing first tranche was made public. The contact list, which has previously circulated in various forms, shows redacted information for dozens of the Hollywood, political and fashion elite and was purportedly compiled by Epstein and his longtime confidante Maxwell. Personal contact information was redacted throughout the list. Names who are in the address book include Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, actor Alec Baldwin, Ethel Kennedy, Andrew Cuomo, Naomi Campbell and Courtney Love. Both Harvey and Bob Weinstein, the late Senator Ted Kennedy; actor Ralph Fiennes, Alan Dershowitz; John Kerry, Dustin Hoffman, Donald Trump 's late first wife Ivana and daughter Ivanka Trump are included among the contacts. The president himself is not listed. There is no suggestion that any person named in his contact book is linked to the atrocious crimes Epstein any evidence of a 'client list' have not yet emerged.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
DOJ cutting American Bar Association access to judicial nominees
Attorney General Pam Bondi told the American Bar Association (ABA) Thursday that the Trump administration would no longer cooperate as the organization vets its judicial nominees. The letter accuses the bar association of failing to 'fix the bias in its rating process,' a claim that follows the organization labeling some Trump nominees as unqualified for the bench. 'Unfortunately, the ABA no longer functions as a fair arbiter of nominees' qualifications, and its ratings invariably and demonstrably favor nominees put forth by Democratic administrations,' Bondi wrote in a letter to ABA President William Bay. 'Accordingly, while the ABA is free to comment on judicial nominations along with other activist organizations, there is no justification for treating the ABA differently from such other activist organizations and the Department of Justice will not do so. Specifically, the Office of Legal Policy will no longer direct nominees to provide waivers allowing the ABA access to non-public information, including bar records. Nominees will also not respond to questionnaires prepared by the ABA and will not sit for interviews with the ABA,' she added. The ABA did not respond to a request for comment. The White House took a similar stance during President Trump's first term in office. According to Ballotpedia, the ABA rated 264 of Trump's nominees, finding187 were rated 'well-qualified,' 67 were rated 'qualified,' and 10 were rated 'not qualified.' Though a small figure, that stands in contrast with other recent administrations, who had at most three unqualified picks during their time in office. The Trump administration has taken a number of actions targeting the ABA. An executive order from Trump directed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to consider whether to suspend the ABA's role as a law school accreditor. The organization also sued over the stripping of grant funding that limited its training programs abroad, as well as another at the Justice Department for victims of domestic and sexual violence. In the DOJ case, the judge found the targeting of the ABA violated the group's first amendment rights. 'The government does not meaningfully contest the merits of the ABA's First Amendment retaliation claim. It points to no deficiencies in the ABA's performance of its grant obligations,' Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee, wrote in the opinion. 'It concedes that similar grants administered by other organizations remain in place. It agrees that bringing a lawsuit is protected by the First Amendment. And it suggests no other cause for the cancellation apart from the sentiments expressed by Deputy Attorney General Blanche in his memorandum,' he added.
