A report from the New York Times suggests that the White House is calling the shots at the Justice Department while Pam Bondi plays attorney general on TV.
According to The Times, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, helps to set the agenda for DOJ and Bondi is content to go along with it because she “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.”
Current and former aides told the Times that it became clear early in Bondi’s tenure that Miller, who is not a lawyer, would exercise control inside the DOJ.
Still, Bondi isn’t shut out of the loop. She 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, current and former aides told The Times.
However, she was not consulted on creating overall strategies to align the DOJ with the game plan and framing attacks on opponents.
After ceding power to Miller, Bondi adopted what The Times describes as a “conspicuously performative approach” to remain in Trump’s cabinet and work on building her brand through numerous appearance in conservative media, especially Fox News.
“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,” said former top pardon lawyer at the DOJ Elizabeth Oyer who was fired for opposing the restoration of pro-Trump actor, Mel Gibson, gun rights.
“It feels like she is just performing a part. She is like an actor, in a way,” Oyer added.
