Talking Feds – Episode: "Bad Bondi"

Host: Harry Litman | Panelists: Norm Ornstein, Tara Settmeyer, Charlie Sykes
Original Release: February 16, 2026

Episode Overview

This week’s Talking Feds convenes a panel of seasoned political observers to dissect major legal and political embarrassments buffeting the Trump administration: Pam Bondi’s incendiary Congressional testimony, further revelations and failures in the Jeffrey Epstein disclosures, the abrupt withdrawal of federal forces from Minnesota, alarming new data on National Guard deployments, and Trump’s legislative defeats concerning tariffs and the filibuster. The roundtable probes whether these events signal a collapsing grip on power, both in the courts and in Congress, and how Democrats and the broader public should interpret—and respond to—this cycle of scandals and governmental dysfunction.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pam Bondi’s Congressional Appearance: "Low Theater for an Audience of One"

[03:30–14:22]

• Calculated Contempt:
  Harry Litman opens with Pam Bondi’s appearance before the House Judiciary Committee. The consensus on the panel is that Bondi’s "nails on the chalkboard" disdain and evasion were deliberate, designed to perform for Donald Trump rather than engage with Congressional oversight.

  “How can I be sure I am in the good graces of my cult leader?” — Norm Ornstein [04:07]

• Collapse of Oversight:
  Norm Ornstein: Congressional Republicans have entirely abandoned their responsibility for oversight. Bondi’s mockery, including calling Jamie Raskin a “washed up lawyer,” passed without any rebuke from her own party.
• Empathy Vacuum:
  Charlie Sykes highlights Bondi’s failure to acknowledge or even look at Epstein victims present in the hearing room:

  “She could have, with a modicum of sympathy... acknowledged them… Instead, she just sat there. They said afterwards that they felt degraded, they felt insulted.” [06:31]

• "Jerry Springer level performative":
  Tara Settmeyer condemns the performative spectacle of Bondi’s testimony as undermining both the gravity and the mission of the Department of Justice. She laments what she sees as a missed opportunity for Democrats to lay out the administration's corruption in clear terms.
• Notable Quote:

  “Not only was it performative, but it was also Jerry Springer level performative.” — Tara Settmeyer [09:32]

2. The Epstein Files Scandal and DOJ Misconduct

[12:21–23:51]

• Hollowed Out Justice Department:
  The panel agrees the DOJ has been “hollowed out” (Litman [12:21]), noting mass resignations and reprisals.
• The "Tough-it-Out" Strategy:
  The administration is banking on public fatigue with the scandal and hopes to “tough it out”—a strategy the panelists find delusional as shocking new revelations continue to drip out.
• Surveillance and Cover-Up:
  Worrying details emerge about DOJ surveillance of legislators and improper redactions.

  “They copied what Congresswoman Jayapal had searched, which itself is an outrageous breach of responsibility and ethics.” — Norm Ornstein [14:22]

• Comparative Global Consequences:
  While American political costs seem negligible for Trump, similar Epstein-related scandals have brought down officials abroad.

  “Increasingly, Donald Trump has isolated himself from the outrage that is breaking out around the world. This story is not going away.” — Charlie Sykes [20:06]

3. ICE, Border Enforcement, and Minnesota "Invasion"

[25:17–34:13]

• Withdrawal from Minnesota:
  Abrupt federal pullback is discussed as tactical, not principled, with ongoing abuses likely spread “so that the outrages occur in so many places that it won't get the same level of attention.” — Norm Ornstein [26:37]
• Impunity and Brutality:
  Systemic abuses continue with little accountability, compounded by DOJ unwillingness to prosecute. Tara Settmeyer decries the culture of impunity:

  “The signal has been put out that they're going to get away with it. That's why Donald Trump will pardon you… it's so sadistic…” [32:27]
  She recounts agents boasting on bodycam after shooting an unarmed teacher:
  “…We hear them say in that video with that poor woman, the teacher in Chicago… he said, ‘Do something, bitch.’ Like, he says this on his body camera. It speaks to the mindset.” [33:05]

• Crimes Against Children:
  Connecting ICE’s abuses to the Epstein scandal, Ornstein points out children are being used as tools:

  “They're throwing children into their concentration camps and keeping them well beyond what the law says... denying them medications. So this is crimes against children along with everything else.” [34:13]

4. Democrats’ Midterm Strategy & Trump’s Legislative Dead-End

[37:11–43:44]

• Messaging and Checks & Balances:
  Norm Ornstein recommends Democrats unify messaging around oversight, the abuse of executive power, and election integrity—not just Trump’s personality:

  “It is why we should have a majority, because if we have a majority in one House, we can put some limits on what these people are doing. And I think that's actually a more effective argument now than I've seen it in the past...” [37:35]

• Trump’s "Retribution Tour": Settmeyer and Sykes agree Trump never cared about legislative achievements and is abandoning normal governing processes, focused only on retaining power and punishing enemies:

  “Trump 2.0 was never about legislating. It was about being the retribution tour for him…” — Tara Settmeyer [41:29]

• Voter Suppression and the SAVE Act:
  The panel highlights voter suppression, ICE intimidation at polls, and tampering with postal service voting as urgent threats to democracy.

5. DOJ’s Crippling Incompetence & Further Scandal

[43:44–47:22]

• Failed Grand Jury Indictments:
  Panelists are stunned by DOJ’s inability to secure a single indictment against six sitting members of Congress; Sykes:

  “You're supposed to be able to indict a ham sandwich... more incredible… Donald Trump… wanted criminal indictments of six sitting members of Congress for something they said in a video. This is breathtaking...” [44:28]

• Collapse of Expertise:
  The department is now staffed by unqualified loyalists, compounding dysfunction.

6. Election 2026: Stakes, Messaging, and Beyond

[49:12–54:43]

• Midterms are the Playoffs, Not the Super Bowl:
  Sykes counsels Democrats not to overinterpret possible victories or forget the need for a plausible policy agenda for the next presidential cycle:

  “I think they're going to do very well in the midterm. But the midterm is, is basically just the first round of the playoffs. It is not the Super Bowl. The super bowl is still coming up and the super bowl is still going to be a climb for them.” [53:06]

• Seizing the Narrative:
  Democrats are urged to reclaim the “restoring order” and “America First” brands with tangible, credible governing plans:

  “They almost need to take restoring order away from the MAGAs and co-opt that message…” — Tara Settmeyer [51:48]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Bondi’s Priorities:

  “Who cares if little girls were raped? The Dow is at 50,000, she said.” — Norm Ornstein [04:07]

• On DOJ Culture:

  “I described her as the embodiment of the degradation of justice right now… she embodied it and played it out in the most dramatic way.” — Charlie Sykes [06:31]

• Surveillance Overreach:

  “The Justice Department was surveilling the members of Congress.” — Norm Ornstein [14:10]

• On Democratic Messaging:

  “Get together every night and create a message for the week that everybody carries through on.” — Norm Ornstein [37:35]

Suggestion: For Unheard Voices

Sykes and Settmeyer repeatedly call on Democrats to translate scandals like Epstein and abuses of power into kitchen-table terms for voters. Settmeyer insists:

“This also hurts your life when the US justice system is being undermined by people who are this dishonest.” [25:17]

Timeline of Significant Segments

| Topic | Timestamps | |-------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------| | Panel Introductions | 02:35–03:30 | | Bondi’s Testimony & Oversight Breakdown | 03:30–14:22 | | Epstein Files, DOJ Misconduct & Global Fallout | 12:21–23:51 | | ICE, Border Enforcement & Minnesota Withdrawal | 25:17–35:04 | | Democrats’ Midterm Strategy & Trump Abandoning Legislation | 37:11–43:44 | | DOJ Incompetence & Failed Indictments | 43:44–47:22 | | Election Message, Kitchen Table Issues, and 2026 Strategy | 49:12–54:43 | | Closing/Valentine’s Day Joke Segment | 54:43–55:58 |

Tone & Language

The panel's tone is urgent, exasperated, sometimes darkly humorous ("Jerry Springer level performative" [09:32]; “Christy, next time. Shoot. Corey.” [55:30]) but consistently rooted in institutional expertise and deep concern for the rule of law.

Memorable Closing

Sykes:

“The midterm is, is basically just the first round of the playoffs. It is not the Super Bowl. The super bowl is still coming up and the super bowl is still going to be a climb for them.” [53:06]

For Listeners:

If you want a primer on how congressional oversight, the DOJ, and campaign messaging interact in a moment of institutional crisis—and what a government operating purely for itself looks like—Bad Bondi is essential listening.