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Prosecutors Were "Stunned" by Pam Bondi -- Here's Why - Carol Leonnig - America at a Crossroads
Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter Carol Leonnig examines what Pam Bondi’s public statements reveal about the future of the U.S. Department of Justice.
In this conversation, Leonnig contrasts how Joe Biden introduced Attorney General Merrick Garland — emphasizing loyalty to the Constitution — with how Pam Bondi framed her role as serving at the directive of Donald Trump.
According to Leonnig, career prosecutors inside the Department of Justice were stunned. Many viewed the moment as a historic departure from post-Watergate norms established after Richard Nixon, when presidents largely agreed to keep prosecutorial decisions independent from the White House.
Why are longtime DOJ staff resigning? What happens when loyalty to a president appears to outweigh loyalty to evidence and the law? And what does this mean for the future of American democracy?
This is a serious conversation about institutional independence, political power, and the rule of law.
📘 Guest: Carol Leonnig, Author, Pulitzer Prize–winning Investigative Reporter
🎙️ Host: Warren Olney, Radio Broadcaster, host of "To the Point" on KCRW
📅 Recorded Feb 2026