- Bondi publicly acknowledged an open grand jury, potentially violating federal grand jury secrecy rules under Rule 6(e).
- Legal experts say her remark risks compromising investigations and fuels claims DOJ is politically weaponized for Trump.
- Her tenure has been polarizing, marked by investigations into Biden-era officials, firings, and accusations of retribution.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, has found herself at the center of yet another controversy after appearing to confirm the existence of an open grand jury investigation during a recent panel discussion.
The remark, made alongside Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, has drawn sharp criticism from legal experts who say it violates longstanding federal rules on secrecy.
The incident unfolded earlier this week when Bondi, responding to questions about ongoing probes, stated plainly: “We’re not going to comment on any grand jury that’s open. We can’t legally.
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While she may have intended the words as a deflection, the statement effectively acknowledged that such a grand jury exists—a move that’s off-limits under federal guidelines.
Legal analyst Lisa Rubin, speaking on Friday, didn’t mince words about the implications. “She was trying to be circumspect,” Rubin said. “But what she said—the words matter.
‘I’m not going to comment on any open grand jury.’ Okay, she’s not supposed to even confirm the existence of a grand jury investigation.”
Rubin, who has closely followed the Trump administration’s legal maneuvers, pointed to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e), which “governs the disclosure of not only grand jury materials but also grand jury information.”
Her assessment: Bondi “may have run afoul of the federal rules about grand jury information.”
The probe in question reportedly involves Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a longtime Trump critic who led the former president’s first impeachment inquiry.
Schiff’s office declined immediate comment, but the timing couldn’t be worse for Bondi, coming just days after a bruising Senate Judiciary Committee hearing where she faced hours of grilling over accusations that the Justice Department is being used as a political weapon.
This isn’t an isolated slip-up in a tenure marked by aggressive moves to align the DOJ with Trump’s agenda.
Bondi, confirmed in February 2025 by a narrow 54-46 Senate vote, has overseen a department that’s launched investigations into Trump’s perceived foes, reversed Biden-era policies, and drawn fire for its handling of high-profile cases like the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Her rapid ascent—from Florida’s top prosecutor to Trump’s impeachment defender to the nation’s chief law enforcement officer—has been as swift as it has been polarizing.
From Florida Scandals to Federal Power
Bondi’s path to the attorney general’s office was anything but smooth.
Back in 2013, as Florida’s attorney general, she drew scrutiny for dropping a potential fraud investigation into Trump University shortly after the Trump Foundation donated $25,000 to a political action committee supporting her reelection.
The contribution, which watchdog groups like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) flagged as illegal because charities can’t fund political causes, raised immediate red flags.
“I was never, nor was my office, investigating him. Never,” Bondi told the Tampa Bay Times at the time.
“I would never lie. I would never take money. I’ve been obviously devastated over this.”
Florida’s Ethics Commission ultimately found the situation suspicious but stopped short of wrongdoing.
The episode, however, cemented Bondi’s image as a Trump loyalist willing to bend for the boss—a reputation that’s followed her to Washington.
Fast-forward to late 2024: After Trump’s initial AG pick, Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew amid scandals of his own, Bondi stepped up.
During her confirmation hearings in January 2025, Democrats hammered her on her lobbying past, her refusal to acknowledge Trump’s 2020 election loss, and her ties to Project 2025, the conservative blueprint for overhauling the federal government.
Republicans, led by figures like Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), hailed her as a crime-fighter ready to “Make America Safe Again”—a slogan she’s leaned into heavily, echoing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” mantra.
Sworn in on February 5, 2025, by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in the Oval Office, Bondi wasted no time.
On her first day, she issued 14 directives, including orders to probe former special counsel Jack Smith—who had charged Trump in two federal cases—and to investigate “improper investigative tactics” around January 6.
She also warned career DOJ lawyers against thwarting Trump policies, signaling a purge that would soon follow.
By August, NPR reported that Bondi had “redefined the attorney general role,” carrying out Trump’s promised “retribution” through the Justice Department.
That included firing prosecutors tied to Trump investigations and launching a grand jury into the Obama administration’s handling of the 2016 Russia probe—a move critics dismissed as a distraction from her own headaches, like the bungled Epstein file release.
The Retribution Tour Heats Up
Bondi’s DOJ has become synonymous with Trump’s vendettas.
In September, the president took to Truth Social with a post addressed directly to “Pam,” venting frustration over stalled probes into New York AG Letitia James, Sen. Schiff, and former FBI Director James Comey.
“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” Trump wrote.
“They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING.”
The post, which Trump later claimed was meant as a private message but accidentally went public, put Bondi in a bind.
Legal experts warned it could taint any resulting cases as “vindictive prosecutions.”
Rubin echoed that concern: “Every time the president opens his mouth about Adam Schiff or anybody else who’s under investigation… it fuels right into a vindictive prosecution motion, because it shows animus toward that particular person.
And in Adam Schiff’s case, the statements by the president about Schiff are legion.”
Comey was indicted days later on unspecified charges in Virginia’s Eastern District.
Then, on October 10, James faced federal charges of bank fraud and false statements— a move that blindsided even Bondi’s inner circle, sources told ABC News.
Bondi later posted on X: “One tier of justice for all Americans.”
Trump’s pressure didn’t stop there. In a recent Fox News appearance, Bondi revealed the DOJ had sent a warning letter to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after she suggested California police could arrest federal agents during immigration raids.
“She’s next,” Bondi implied, tying it to broader efforts against “sanctuary” policies.
These actions have reshaped the DOJ, according to a New Yorker profile in August. Ruth Marcus described Bondi’s leadership as the “most convulsive transition of power since Watergate,” marked by mass firings, policy reversals, and a focus on immigration crackdowns.
Bondi even personally removed portraits of Biden officials from the National Security Division on her first unannounced visit.
Immigration has been a flashpoint. In March, Bondi defied a federal judge’s order to halt deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, arguing in court that “an oral directive is not enforceable as an injunction.”
She later blasted the judge on air: “This judge has no right to ask those questions… Judges are meddling in our government.”
Senate Showdown and Epstein Echoes
The October 7 Senate hearing was a four-hour slugfest. Democrats, led by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), accused Bondi of turning the DOJ into “a shield for the president and his political allies.”
She fired back at Durbin, stating, “I wish you loved Chicago as much as you hate President Trump”—a jab over National Guard deployments to the city against the governor’s wishes.
Bondi stonewalled on Epstein, too. The July release of heavily redacted files sparked MAGA backlash when no “client list” emerged, contradicting earlier teases from Trump and Bondi.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) pressed her on it; she deflected, accusing Democrats of blocking prior disclosures.
Just days ago, on October 22, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, demanded Bondi comply with a subpoena for more Epstein documents, citing new details from victim Virginia Giuffre’s memoir.
“Your refusal… raises serious questions about your motives,” Garcia wrote.
On October 21, House Republicans referred former CIA Director John Brennan to the DOJ for potential criminal charges over the 2016 Russia assessment—another arrow in the retribution quiver.
A Department Under Siege?
Bondi’s defenders, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), praise her for refocusing the DOJ on “prosecuting crime and protecting Americans.”
At an April Cabinet meeting, she gushed that Trump’s first 100 days had “far exceeded that of any other presidency… ever.”
But critics see a department eroded by politics. A letter from former DOJ staffers called her tenure a “sledgehammer” to the rule of law.
As one veteran told The New Yorker: “In Pam Bondi, Donald Trump has the Attorney General he always wanted.”
With grand jury gaffes, Senate clashes, and a president tweeting marching orders, Bondi’s DOJ feels less like a temple of justice and more like a battlefield.
As investigations pile up—into Schiff, Pelosi, and beyond—the question lingers: How long before the courts, or the public, push back?
Also Read: A DOJ Whistleblower Now Makes Revelation That Undermines the Judicial System’s Integrity
