Trump DOJ as lawless as ever after bombshell AG firing

In contrast to his first administration, Donald Trump's second presidency hasn't had nearly as much turnover. Trump, by surrounding himself with staunch MAGA loyalists, has avoided frequent clashes with appointees.

But in 2026, Trump has fired former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and ex-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem despite the fact that they were devoted loyalists. Salon's Amanda Marcotte argued that no matter how much Bondi and Noem "debased' themselves to show their devotion to Trump, they were expendable in the end.

Following Bondi's firing, Todd Blanche is serving as interim attorney general — and it remains to be seen who Trump will nominate as a permanent replacement.

Salon's Heather Digby Parton offers a scathing critique of the post-Bondi DOJ in an article published on April 9, lamenting that the department hasn't improved at all since her departure.

"(Bondi) understood from the beginning that her job was to serve not as attorney general of the United States, but as attorney general of Donald Trump," Parton explains. "She was his personal legal hit woman, and she took on the assignment with energy and enthusiasm. For a solid year, she fulfilled her duty as a top Trump sycophant, showing not even the slightest compunction at behaving like a schoolyard bully and shameless apple polisher."

Parton continues, "During what would turn out to be her last major public appearance in office, she testified, before the House Judiciary Committee on February 11, that Trump is 'the greatest president in American history' and, in an attempt to divert attention, argued that the committee should be talking about the stock market instead of the Epstein files…. Bondi had known Trump for years, even before he became president, so she should have known that, with him, loyalty only goes one way. The day after she was sacked, her official portrait was thrown in the trash at the very building that had been her domain."

Trump, Parton notes, was "unhappy about" Bondi's "inability to stick it to his political enemies."

"On Tuesday, at his first press conference after taking office," Parton observes, "Blanche proved that he is more than up to the task of flattering the president before the television cameras…. Blanche, obviously seeking to learn from his predecessor's mistakes, went on to make clear that (his) loyalty to the president comes first — ahead of the traditions and norms that have long been in place at the Justice Department, ahead of his duty to the country, ahead of any commitment to the rule of law…. Blanche would most likely be easily confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate, and his paean to Trump at Tuesday's press conference shows that he understands his boss very well."

Parton continues, "By expressing his unconditional love for the president and making clear his willingness to be tossed aside like one of his discarded wives, Blanche has signaled he will do anything Trump wants him to. And if anything goes wrong, he'll happily take the fall."

• george conway
• noam chomsky
• civil war
• Kayleigh mcenany
• Melania trump
• drudge report
• paul krugman
• Lindsey graham
• Lincoln project
• al franken bill maher
• People of praise
• Ivanka trump
• eric trump