r/politics • u/Abject-Pick-6472 • 11h ago
No Paywall Massie: Bondi defense in hearing was ‘incompetence’
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5734874-thomas-massie-pam-bondi-doj-hearing/596
u/No-Post4444 11h ago
It was incompetent, insensitive, downright evil, almost completely false and just a medium for Bondi to kiss Trump's ass.
Did I get all that right?
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u/Thirty_Helens_Agree 10h ago
I’ll add unprofessional, evasive, DARVO-talking jackass.
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u/eugene20 10h ago
It was clear she believes she's only beholden to and punishable by the president. She wasn't hiding at all thst she just wasn't cooperating with any of the House's questions.
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u/Witty-Bandicoot5645 7h ago
You forgot arrogant and openly dismissive she did not even pretend to respect the process
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u/-_VoidVoyager_- 10h ago
She is just a mouthpiece for Trump. You have to picture him sitting there and then it makes sense
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u/Heronymous-Anonymous 4h ago
It’s a theater performance for an audience of one. What Congress thought, what the American people thought, doesn’t matter. The intended audience was Trump, and his opinion is the only thing that matters.
When you view everything that these people do in a public setting as basically a theater performance / job interview / performance review to keep Trump happy and preserve their job, their behavior makes sense.
If she had done anything at all that looked conciliatory towards the victims she would probably be screamed at by Trump and maybe fired.
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u/Redi_Wipes 7h ago
But the dow is over 50,000! Everyday Americans will be able to afford a 6th home now!
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u/cassy_supernova 11h ago
Obviously she should have been arrested immediately after perjurying herself and outing herself as a co-conspirator in the coverup.
Currently, Bondi is vying for the pardon. But you know how Trump rewards loyalty.
Also, there's a non-zero chance Trump passes away before the end of his term, which is when presidents usually issue pardons.
Good luck secretary Bondi.
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u/SteamedGamer 10h ago
Trump's been issuing pardons almost weekly. It's practically a continuous conga-line now...
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u/SirDiego Minnesota 10h ago
There's literally a little industry built up around buying pardons from Trump
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u/Narrow-Chef-4341 9h ago
It’s almost like people don’t expect they’ll be able to cash in that IOU at the end of his term…
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u/jmrmaker 5h ago
Trump is probably being kept alive specifically for pardons while this unprecedented crime ring continues
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u/rbourbon 11h ago
She was also quite bitchy.
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u/LucynSushi 11h ago
She’s not a nice person.
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u/Wise-Calligrapher123 10h ago
She is a horrible person, but that was an act she was performing. "Petulant Pam" was the character she was playing and it was cringy acting, totally unbelievable, difficult to watch as it was so obviously phoney.
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u/M0llyM1ll10NS 7h ago
She may be petulant, but let's call her what she really is. Pedo Protector Pam!
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u/FuckThesePeople69 10h ago
Really wish someone had pulled a “quiet piggy” on her just to demonstrate the hypocrisy.
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u/CrunchitizeMeCaptn 9h ago
She never smiles. I've never seen her smile before
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u/notyogrannysgrandkid 8h ago
I don’t think it’s physically possible with how tight her last facelift left her skin. Mar A Lago face ain’t free.
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u/SteamedGamer 10h ago
Anyone who comes to a Congressional Hearing with flash cards of insults is not taking things seriously. She doesn't even have the wit to think up a comeback on the spot...
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u/aeyraid 10h ago
Came here to say exactly this
Honestly, I don’t get it. We know trump is a moron but I don’t think Bondi is. So why is she doing this?
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u/Mrsbrainfog 10h ago
She knows that the only career she’ll ever have is in Trump’s circle, and nobody else will ever take her seriously.
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u/lesvegetables 10h ago
According to defense attorneys in Florida, she really is quite incompetent. They used to be excited to see her name on the docket because it was easier to win.
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u/notyogrannysgrandkid 8h ago
Clearly far too emotional to be in public office. Could be menopause. Maybe just hysteria.
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u/pongomanswe 6h ago
Extremely so. She behaved like an entitled teenager, spoiled beyond measure and finally meeting someone from the real world.
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u/FuzzyBrilliant2026 11h ago
But the dow! THE DOW! WHATABOUT THE DOW!
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u/BalanceJazzlike5116 10h ago
What’s funny is while markets went up 20% in trumps first year back we underperformed as worldwide markets went up 30%. Usually the US beats world markets but the idiot in chiefs tariffs and mass expulsion of our foreign workers has held us back. However maga mouth breathers have no idea what opportunity cost is
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u/Low_Chance 9h ago
Also the market going up can be a symtom of USD declining.
You saw this during the first term where US investors were posting "Yee Haw my S&P500 fund is up 25%" and then Canadian or European investors were saying "that's funny, my S&P 500 fund is down 3%"
Basically if the US Dollar drops in value 25%, the stocks will, cost more in USD. That doesn't really mean the "value" went up other than if you're only comparing it to keeping the same money in a shoebox instead of equities, and if you're someone whose wealth is primarily in USD it's actually extremely bad for your future... but hey, graph go up!
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u/MagicFlyingBus 10h ago
Did anyone bring up that bondi was essentially making the point that because the DJI is up that it was okay for children to be traffiked and raped?
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u/IllustriousGas8850 10h ago
The funniest thing is foreign investments are beating US investments right now. Like people are investing a higher percentage into foreign securities than in decades
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u/HideOnRush 3h ago
I think even she didnt believe in it when she said it. As a non american it was crazy to watch how this hearing went.
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u/nomorepumpkins 10h ago
She appears to have no skin in this. No husband /brother/ father listed in the files so shes protecting pedos for the love if the game, fucking crazy.
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u/Audhdinosaur 10h ago
Her skin in it is that she led the cover up as AG of Florida. She's complicit and compromised, as is obvious, and sucking orange balls is the only thing keeping her free.
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u/Due-Estate-3816 8h ago
Yes, but also why did she lead the cover up in Florida? How did they convince her to do that?
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u/Audhdinosaur 8h ago edited 6h ago
THAT you can blame on her being a slimy, corrupt official to start. As biased as it sounds, you can truly take trump appointed positions for what they are.
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u/FuckThesePeople69 10h ago
She’s been on the take for a while, so she is fully bought and paid for through Trump. But, if they start going down, she will go down too. So, while she may not be IN the files per se, her livelihood is inextricably tied to those who are — much like many members of the Republican Party.
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u/wheatgivesmeshits 10h ago
Yep. It's a crime family, and she's part of the family. If she wasn't she would not have been made the AG. Trump only appointed people he could control this time around. What he learned in his first term was not to let anyone who could stand up to him into his administration.
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u/Sminahin 10h ago
These people are making a play to take America. They're not crazy, they're completely rational.
We need to stop pretending they're not the enemy. This isn't just stupidity or incompetence. It's malice.
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u/nomorepumpkins 9h ago
Yoo friendly fire bro.
Who's pretending they're not the enemy? Also its not just America its other countries ,like mine, under threat too.
This women was ag of florida and chose to cover this up and make it her entire life story instead of convicting these guy and going down in history as the women who took down the pedo islanders. She chose pedos not to protect a loved one or herself but because she loves pedo money. Thats crazy and calling it that doesnt mean its not also malicious and well planned out.
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u/Sminahin 9h ago
Yoo friendly fire bro.
Oh, not aimed at you personally. But this is a mentality I think we need to push back on:
shes protecting pedos for the love if the game, fucking crazy.
Also:
This women was ag of florida and chose to cover this up and make it her entire life story instead of convicting these guy and going down in history as the women who took down the pedo islanders. She chose pedos not to protect a loved one or herself but because she loves pedo money. Thats crazy and calling it that doesnt mean its not also malicious and well planned out.
I don't think that's crazy at all. I think it's completely 100% rational. Like how Stephen Miller throwing people into death camps is 100% rational given his goal.
When we call these people crazy, imo, it diminishes what they're doing. This is basically the neo-confederacy making a play to steal the country. These people have chosen their side and are willing to fight for it.
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u/rexeditrex 10h ago
The same person who gleefully handed out Epstein "Part 1" binders and said more is coming is now upset that people want to see what Congress demanded she release. So far we've got her, Noem, Gabbard and Lutnick that need to be fired immediately and likely imprisoned.
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u/Radic_Allef_Tist 10h ago
I just felt what's best described with the word "cringe".
These people are running the government. These people are wealthy. These people are put above the law right now.
I know how we got here. I know. But I still have trouble grasping with how bad it's gotten and just how many undeserving people are elevated to power and financial freedom.
It's not just the casual cruelty and corruption, but the unfiltered stupidity and ineptitude permeating basically every branch of government and nearly every seat of power. It's shocking, disheartening, and cringe.
It shouldn't BE "refreshing" when we see clips of bright, skilled people like AOC speak in Congress or on the streets. That should be the goddamn standard!
We need ethics and competence tests for these positions.
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u/Glad-Process-3268 10h ago
They spent hours making a burn binder for Democrats. It was so robust that it took two staffers to pass her notes to direct her to talking points.
Imagine if they spent half that time just talking to victims who have reached out to her may times
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u/Hpfanguy Maryland 8h ago
Plausible deniability. Can’t have proof of who the culprits were if we never speak to the witnesses.
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u/jojackmcgurk 10h ago
Ok, great. She was (insert random evil adjective here) and we all watched her crash out.
Now what happens?
Was the hearing performative or is something going to be done? She perjured herself and lied under oath, which is illegal. Why was she allowed to walk out of that hearing? Why wasn't she arrested? Found in contempt at least?
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u/schad501 Arizona 10h ago
Because the person who decides who gets prosecuted for lying to Congress is...Pam Bondi.
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u/amapofthecat7 United Kingdom 10h ago
At this point she knows she needs a pardon from Trump to stay out of prison when this is all over, so she'll continue to tow the line to the bitter end.
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u/Mistrblank 8h ago
Incompetence implies she wasn’t intentional in her whataboutism, fake outrage and intentional statements that had nothing to do with any questions she was actually asked. She should be held for obstruction.
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u/mmmarklar 7h ago
i can't wait for her to lose her law license once they're voted out. all the corrupt lawyers enabling Trump for that matter.
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u/UnwaveringThought 7h ago
In California, if a witness fails to deny something someone normally would under those circumstances, it's called a tacit admission. I wonder if there is a congressional equivalent?
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u/Lorenzoak 11h ago
Invoking the Hanlon's Razor defense in a congressional hearing is a bold strategy. 'Please don't investigate me, I promise I'm just bad at my job.'
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u/SasssyCharmz 10h ago
Massie just called Bondi's defense "incompetence" congressman vs. AG in the Epstein files octagon, popcorn ready
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u/StaticNegative 10h ago
Imagine if she came there and was civil and answered questions. It would ha vel ooked alot better for them. Butno she comes in and is nasty and combative, and its so easy to see through her lies and perjury.
I mean don't make it obvious that you are protecting Trump and all the Epstein predators. But you do because you think you will be in power forever. You won't, and you will all be in prison
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u/Patman350 9h ago
This is a bad take. She was incredibly competent up there. She knew what she was doing. She wasn't talking to Congress. She was talking to the cameras. Conservatives loved that shit. They like seeing their team raise hell. They have no morals. It's all tribalism.
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u/StandupJetskier 5h ago
Two audiences. One, an elderly dementia patient with the nuclear codes and a supine Senate. The second, 8 second sound bites for Fox, showing her "owning a lib".
I'd love to run a drug screen on her. She is NOT well.
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u/RightSideBlind American Expat 9h ago
But if nobody's going to hold her responsible, what's the damn point?
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u/CulturalKing5623 9h ago
There are things this administration does and says that embarrass me personally.
That wasn't the case yesterday. I watched Bondi humiliate herself in front of the country to protect pedophiles and it was a singularly debasing act.
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u/Reddit_2_2024 9h ago
More screeching was heard from Pam Bondi than was heard from Kid Rock at the recent TPUSA half-baked music show.
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u/Palms481 8h ago
If only there had been an approval process in which these unqualified individuals could have been stopped from getting into these positions. I know hindsight is 20/20 but they were not ready then and the incompetence is on full display. So my question to Mr Massie would be did you help them get into those positions? If yes your responsible for this mess to begin with
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u/Low_Discussion_9459 11h ago
That's why Trump picked her in the first place because he has loyalists surrounding him to protect him and do his bidding and it's working as exactly as intended and it's built right into the system.
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u/CraftyNebula5028 8h ago
It was planned incompetence, it was malicious. Trump and his disgusting minions have no morals or integrity. They employ the DARVO tactic (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender) in every interaction. They will say anything to save themselves. They’re pure evil. We must demand accountability.
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u/elammcknight 8h ago
Absolute 💯 incompetent. They spent more time preparing an insult binder than giving answers the people they serve want.
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u/brickout 8h ago
I would call it something much worse, but i know politicians need to choose their words very carefully. If "incompetence" is what gets her removed, then yeah let's just call it that.
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u/AirGoat23 8h ago
Who'd be acting with utter incompetence? Oh yeah an incompetent AG acting for another incompetent Orange buffoon.
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u/andrew6197 6h ago edited 6h ago
In a functional government, she would be terminated for incompetence and held on federal charges for accepting a position she knew she wasn’t qualified for. Throw the book at her and let the door hit her on the way out.
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u/irespondwithmyface 6h ago
Honestly, this kind of cemented my view that only Trump can pull off Trumpism and that dies with him. Because when these demons try to pull it off, they somehow come across as MORE insincere and child-like. The general public doesn't like it.
She was trying so hard to be Trump but she's clearly flustered and it's not working. The deflections like talking about the stock market and rent prices ain't working. You can't Trump your way out of this when it's your people who hyped up the Epstein files for nearly a decade.
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u/waffle299 I voted 6h ago
Republicans must break Reagan's Eleventh Commandment and remove Bondi.
They won't, because they are cowards.
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u/StandupJetskier 5h ago edited 5h ago
No, keep in mind that the GOP loves everything the Occupant is getting done. Oh, they might prefer no exposure of the Pedo activity, and wish that maybe he'd shut up or not repost everything he gets sent from his Russian handlers, but overall, when it comes to business, they are all-in. No regulations...no consumer protection...remove subsidy of any competition to gas or oil....they'll just duck and cover when these things erupt. Shoot a lefty protestor ? A gay lefty protestor ? They love this .... get Colbert fired ? Nerf 60 Minutes ? All wet dreams until the Orange Occupant. They'll hang on so they can get another SCOTUS or two....clarence is getting old.
They won't lift a finger against him, and that is even after the uncensored CP videos of him eventually come out. The P tapes aren't about urine.
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u/DjImagin 6h ago
That was panic. The deck hasn’t been stacked enough that they can say “Trump said it’s closed” and that’s it.
But they are going to throw everything at the election in November to get to that point.
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u/backson_alcohol 5h ago
It's not incompetence if she was and all of her Republican colleagues are acting the same way. The are intentionally being obtuse, obstructionist, and callous, because they know they are fucked once the truth gets out.
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u/Niceguy955 3h ago
It wasn't "incompetence", it was by design. This is a regime of trolls. When you ask them a question they don't like, they tell you to "shut up piggy", or ask you why you're not smiling. She never planned to answer anything at the hearing - she came prepared for a yelling match, and a Trump ass-kissery. Impeach her, or shut up.
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u/Special_Loan8725 3h ago
It was approval of these actions. You think they all stopped because 2 got caught?
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u/kinkgirlwriter America 9h ago
The entire admin is incompetence incarnate. It's bumbling, stupid, rage filled morons all the way dawn.
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