Who could be next after Trump ousts Bondi? Political analyst weighs in on president's cabinet moves

[0:00] President Trump reportedly considering removing other officials in his cabinet, [0:05] according to people inside the administration. [0:07] The president's unhappy with the performance of Laurie Chavez de Remmer, the Labor Secretary. [0:12] Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, that's according to an unnamed administration official, [0:15] who said he's very angry and he's going to be moving people. [0:18] The president also apparently polled advisers about replacing Tulsi Gabbard as intelligence chief. [0:23] So let's focus on him dismissing a loyalist now. [0:25] Former Attorney General Pam Bondi joining me on the morning show news for Jack's political analysts. [0:30] And head of the Jacksonville University Haskell Public Policy Institute, Rick Mullaney. [0:34] Good morning, Rick. [0:34] Good morning, Bruce. [0:35] So there are those who say that the Attorney General may be the most difficult job in Trump's cabinet. [0:40] They say he demands things that are not only ethically problematic, [0:44] but also that reside somewhere in the space between highly difficult and impossible. [0:48] All things considered, was Pam Bondi destined to fail? [0:52] It was a tall order for her to succeed. [0:55] With President Trump, there are two things that are required. [0:57] Number one is you have to be loyal. [0:59] And number two, you have to... [1:00] And you have to deliver on what he wants. [1:03] That can oftentimes be very difficult for the Attorney General. [1:06] Look back at his first term. [1:07] It was Jeff Sessions, one of the most loyal, one of the first senators to endorse him. [1:11] When he conflicted himself out of the Russia investigation, [1:14] he was on a short lease, and he, of course, was fired as Attorney General. [1:18] Bill Barr, very substantial. [1:20] He also fell out of favor with the president over the 2020 election. [1:24] For Pam Bondi, when it comes to loyalty, there is no one more loyal than Pam Bondi. [1:28] And in fact, I think many Democrats... [1:30] I think many Democrats would suggest that she's the most partisan Attorney General in the history of the country. [1:34] Her loyalty runs deep. [1:35] And remember in 2016, when President Trump was running for president, [1:39] she was an early supporter of President Trump back in 2016. [1:43] She spoke in favor of him at the Republican Convention in 2016 and in 2020. [1:48] She was on his team in the impeachment trial. [1:51] She was one of the lawyers for both of his impeachment. [1:54] And she was a lawyer in challenging the 2020 election. [1:57] Very strong support for Donald Trump. [1:59] As Attorney General, she really followed his direction. [2:02] That includes sort of a purging, as some would call it, [2:05] of the DOJ and those employees who had investigated the president. [2:09] And although she stumbled on the Epstein files, [2:11] her desire not to disclose was, I believe and many believe, [2:14] coming a direction from the White House at that time. [2:17] And her appearances, Bruce, before Congress, [2:19] while combative and strongly defending the president, [2:22] weren't especially effective. [2:23] But you could certainly tell that she was loyal to the president. [2:26] That loyalty did not work. [2:28] It was... [2:29] She simply did not deliver what the president wanted. [2:32] Let's talk about something you just alluded to. [2:34] There are those who say that she was her own worst enemy, [2:36] actually made things worse, [2:37] especially when it comes to two sticking points between her and Trump, [2:40] the Epstein files, [2:41] and the president's thus far fruitless retribution campaign. [2:45] Those are the two that people point to most. [2:47] On the Epstein files, she famously on national television said, [2:51] there's a client list sitting on my desk for review. [2:54] And within a few weeks, had to come back and say, [2:57] that was a misunderstanding. [2:59] There was no such list. [3:00] In the weeks that followed, [3:02] she was very ineffective in producing those documents. [3:05] There were delays. [3:06] There were challenges with the redactions. [3:08] There were notebooks produced that had nothing new. [3:10] In the end, it kept this story alive. [3:13] It was an embarrassment for the president, [3:15] and it caused a problem for him and the base. [3:17] Many people point to the Epstein files [3:19] as one of the reasons for this change. [3:21] The other, on the retribution front, [3:23] the president wasn't secretive about this. [3:25] He was open. [3:26] There were people who he wanted to look at, [3:28] including James Comey, Letitia James. [3:30] We've seen it with the Federal Reserve, with Powell. [3:33] He also wanted Frank Brennan, Adam Schiff, [3:35] and of course the indictment of Bolton. [3:37] But she was pretty ineffective in his view, [3:41] particularly when it came to Comey and Letitia James. [3:43] They did get indicted, [3:45] but those prosecutors were properly appointed [3:47] according to the federal court, [3:48] so those indictments got dismissed. [3:50] The president was very unhappy with her performance in that area. [3:53] In addition to all this hubbub [3:55] created by the release of the Epstein files, [3:58] some people have characterized it as dumbfounding claims [4:00] about what was in the files, [4:02] and that came back to bite the administration. [4:04] White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, [4:06] basically said in an interview with Vanity Fair, [4:08] I think it was in December, [4:10] Bondi completely whiffed on the Epstein files, [4:12] and there was no use in pretending otherwise. [4:16] That's the bottom line. [4:19] I mean, she wasn't in Susie Wiles' camp either. [4:21] Well, I think Susie viewed herself [4:23] as very close to Pam Bondi. [4:25] She often called her a sister. [4:27] But if I was Pam Bondi, and I saw that Vanity Fair article, [4:29] and I saw that the Chief of Staff saying I had whiffed, [4:31] that would have been a shot across the bow, [4:33] a concern that there were problems, [4:35] and it was a problem. [4:37] There's some reporting that suggests that Susie Wiles [4:39] was defending Pam Bondi to the bitter end [4:41] in terms of retaining her. [4:43] But in the end, for the president, [4:45] I think it was the Epstein files, [4:47] it was the retribution cases, he was dissatisfied. [4:49] But it was also those appearances before Congress [4:51] in which she was combative, [4:53] but not effective, I don't believe. [4:55] In the end, it was too much, [4:57] even maybe for Susie to sway the president. [4:58] And any doubt that ultimately [5:00] anybody who succeeds her permanently, [5:02] well, we can't use the word permanent with Donald Trump, [5:04] but succeeds her as the director of the DOJ [5:06] is in a tough spot? [5:08] It's a tough job. [5:10] They're in a very tough spot, [5:12] because for that attorney general, [5:14] you really do need someone who in particular occasions [5:16] has to have the ability to look the president in the eye [5:18] and say the requirements of law [5:20] do not allow us to go forward [5:22] in this way on this matter. [5:24] And the president oftentimes, [5:26] and we've seen it on tariffs in other areas, [5:28] the law is one thing, [5:30] his policy objectives are another. [5:32] He wants his policy objectives, [5:34] sometimes despite the requirements of law, [5:36] and the attorney general's in a unique position. [5:38] So yes, very difficult for any attorney general. [5:40] They've got to be loyal, [5:42] but they also have to deliver on his priorities. [5:44] This includes policy priorities, [5:46] and sometimes the requirements of law [5:48] are at odds with what he wants to accomplish. [5:50] We started off mentioning that other cabinet officials [5:52] may have their jobs on the line, [5:54] and significant staffing changes are underway [5:56] at the Pentagon, where the defense secretary, [5:58] Meg Seth, ousted the Army's top officer [6:00] and two other high-ranking officials. [6:02] What does this tell you about the state [6:04] of the Trump administration and cabinet, [6:06] especially when the polls show that his [6:08] approval rating is historically low [6:10] and disapproval at last check [6:12] was something like 62%? [6:14] Bruce, there's been a strong contrast [6:16] between Trump II and Trump I [6:18] when it comes to his cabinet. [6:20] In his first term, there was a lot of turnover early. [6:22] It was very chaotic. [6:24] I think this time around he did not want that to be the case. [6:26] It has been much more stable in this second term. [6:28] It has been a loyal cabinet and that group. [6:30] However, change is beginning. [6:32] You saw it with Kristi Noem. [6:34] You've seen it now with Pam Bondi. [6:36] There are suggestions that more are to come. [6:38] You can expect with those low approval ratings [6:40] and where things are right now [6:42] that more change very well could be coming. [6:44] All right, Rick Mulaney always giving good context, [6:46] perspective, and focus. [6:48] Appreciate you. Have a great weekend.