Bondi tussles with Democrat senator over lies about military service

When you mess with the bull, you get the horns, and after today, I think everyone is quite aware that Attorney General Pam Bondi is a bull. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) found that out the hard way after openly challenging her integrity during a hearing.

Bondi went for the throat, calling out Blumenthal for lying about his military service during a speech. Even so, I don’t believe all is well for Bondi right now.

He says it was a mistake

I think most people would agree that some exaggerated details were uttered about their lives at some point in time. Maybe you enhanced a story about your little league baseball conquests, or something at work.

It’s harmless, but that is far from the case when you are talking about military service, as that is something that you do not embellish in this country, especially when you worked so hard to make sure you did not see combat, as is the case with Blumenthal.

During a March 2008 event, she stated, "We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam. And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it -- Afghanistan or Iraq -- we owe our military men and women unconditional support.” After the fact, Blumenthal claimed it was just a slip of the tongue, and he apologized.

Much like Democrats have accused Trump, Blumenthal worked the system, deferring his enlistment five times, finally enlisting in 1970, all but assured he would not see action in Vietnam. He wound up being stationed in DC and Connecticut, nowhere near a battlefield.

Messing with the bull

During the recent hearing, Blumenthal was clearly questioning Bondi’s integrity, stating, "In the merger that took place involving American Express GBT (Global Business Travel), I understand that Brian Ballard, a longtime backer and head of the law firm where you worked, was instrumental in lobbying the Justice Department to drop that lawsuit. … What conversations did you have with Mr. Ballard?"

Bondi took no time at all to go on the attack, stating, "Sen. Blumenthal, I cannot believe that you would accuse me of impropriety when you lied about your military service. You lied -- you admitted you lied to be elected a U.S. senator.”

She continued, "How dare you? I’m a career prosecutor. Don’t you ever challenge my integrity. Do not question my ability to be fair and impartial as attorney general, or anything regarding my former firm, Ballard Partners."

You could have heard a pin drop for a brief moment, as nobody could believe she dared to go down that road. But I would wager that comment was sitting on a card in front of her, just waiting for Blumenthal to say something where she could use it.

Not all sunshine and roses

When Bondi was appointed, I applauded the decision, especially since Matt Gaetz was the first nominee. She had a stellar record, and I thought she would do a good job, and for the most part, she has, but I cannot say the same for her underlings, who have dropped the ball on numerous occasions.

For instance, during the Kilmar Abrego Garcia hearing this week, the government was unprepared and got reamed by the judge for trying to use the shutdown for not having witness information ready to go.

Former White House Counsel Ty Cobb, who is not vocally opposed to Trump, called her one of the most “reprehensible attorney generals” we have ever had in this country, adding, “She tried to mislead the MAGA faithful with regard to Epstein by saying, well, we’ll try to get the grand jury minutes knowing that there was nothing in the grand jury minutes that would shed any light on this. It is just all a deception game. This is basically designed to affect the credibility of various institutions, the Justice Department the Congress today.”

Bondi has also taken some direct hits over the Epstein files, and I get the feeling that Trump is getting tired of having to defend her. I know he thinks highly of her, but when his patience wears thin, people are kicked to the curb. I am not saying it will happen within a few weeks or even months, but I just don’t see Bondi in that office this time next year.