Attorney General Pam Bondi-Exclusive One-on-One LIVE Interview at CPAC

Summary

Verdict with Ted Cruz: Attorney General Pam Bondi – Exclusive One-on-One LIVE Interview at CPAC

Release Date: February 21, 2025

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Introduction and Context

In the February 21, 2025 episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz, hosted by Premiere Networks, Senator Ted Cruz sits down for an exclusive one-on-one live interview with the newly confirmed Attorney General of the United States, Pam Bondi. The interview, conducted live from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2025, delves into Bondi’s rapid actions in her first 15 days on the job, her priorities for the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the broader implications for American safety and governance.

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Pam Bondi's DOJ Mission

Senator Cruz opens the discussion by acknowledging the critical role Bondi has stepped into, emphasizing the significance of restoring integrity to the DOJ after what he describes as four years of weaponization under the previous administration.

Ted Cruz [02:32]: "You've come into what I think is the single most important cabinet position in this administration because we went through four years of Biden weaponizing the Department of Justice..."

Bondi responds by highlighting the immediate actions taken to address systemic issues within the DOJ.

Pam Bondi [03:29]: "On day one, I issued 14 executive orders. And number one is the weaponization ends and it ends now."
(03:29)

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Immigration and Border Security Efforts

A significant portion of the conversation revolves around immigration, particularly the surge of illegal immigrants and the associated rise in violent crime. Bondi underscores the administration’s commitment to enforcing stricter border controls and deporting criminals.

Pam Bondi [06:04]: "Joint Task Force Alpha just made a huge arrest in Juarez, Mexico. They were headed to Texas, to El Paso. Human smuggling."
(06:04)

Cruz presses further on the impact of these efforts on border security and national safety, prompting Bondi to discuss the classification of certain cartels as terrorist organizations.

Pam Bondi [07:07]: "They are a terrorist group and it gives us the ability to go after them anywhere in the world and treat them terrorists."
(07:07)

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Combating Violent Crime and Terrorism

Bondi elaborates on the administration’s aggressive stance against violent criminals and terrorist threats within the United States. She references specific cases and the broader strategy to eliminate violent elements infiltrating the country.

Pam Bondi [07:53]: "With this horrible open border policy just flowing, flowing across our borders and killing kids, killing adults every single day."
(07:53)

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Law Enforcement Collaboration

The interview highlights the seamless collaboration between various law enforcement agencies under Bondi’s leadership. She praises the teamwork between the DOJ, FBI, Homeland Security, and other critical bodies in combating crime.

Pam Bondi [24:19]: "There's a lot I can't talk about now, but very publicly. I think you've seen a lot happen. A lot is happening every day."
(24:19)

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Tackling Anti-Semitism and Campus Violence

Addressing rising anti-Semitism and violence on college campuses, Bondi outlines the DOJ’s proactive measures to protect students and enforce civil rights laws. She criticizes the previous administration for inaction and emphasizes the importance of safeguarding educational environments.

Pam Bondi [31:12]: "We have an October 7th task force that we started, and we will protect you."
(31:12)

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Enforcing the Law Against Officials and Mayors

Cruz and Bondi discuss the administration’s efforts to hold local officials accountable, particularly those in sanctuary cities who resist federal immigration laws. Bondi details legal actions taken against cities like Chicago and New York for non-compliance.

Pam Bondi [13:27]: "I sued Illinois First, Chicago, first day, first day. And I gave a very strong warning. If you don't comply with the law, you're next."
(13:27)

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Challenges and Achievements in the DOJ

Throughout the interview, Bondi candidly addresses the challenges inherited upon taking office, including deep-seated issues within the DOJ. She asserts that despite these obstacles, significant progress has been made in realigning the department with its core mission of upholding the Constitution and maintaining public safety.

Pam Bondi [14:19]: "Worse, meaning... that department had completely lost its mission of fighting violent crime."
(14:19)

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Conclusion and Host's Remarks

As the interview concludes, Cruz expresses strong support for Bondi’s leadership and the transformative changes underway within the DOJ. He commends her dedication to defending the nation and restoring the department’s integrity.

Ted Cruz [34:20]: "Pam, the media are going crazy... Should this be something that is looked at to see what he did while he was president?"
(20:36 – concluding remarks)

Pam Bondi [35:27]: "Thank you, my friend. And thank you for fighting for us."
(35:27)

The episode wraps up with an encouraging message for listeners to subscribe to the podcast, reinforcing its mission to bypass corporate media and deliver unfiltered truths directly to the American public.

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Notable Quotes Highlighted

• Pam Bondi [02:36]: "It feels like 15 years."

• Pam Bondi [03:29]: "On day one, I issued 14 executive orders. And number one is the weaponization ends and it ends now."

• Pam Bondi [07:07]: "They are terrorists. If you're bringing fentanyl into this country and killing our kids, you're a terrorist and we're coming after you."

• Pam Bondi [14:19]: "Worse, meaning... that department had completely lost its mission of fighting violent crime."

• Pam Bondi [31:12]: "We have an October 7th task force that we started, and we will protect you."

• Pam Bondi [13:27]: "If you don't comply with the law, you're next."

• Ted Cruz [34:20]: "Pam, the media are going crazy... Should this be something that is looked at to see what he did while he was president?"

• Pam Bondi [35:27]: "Thank you, my friend. And thank you for fighting for us."

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Final Thoughts

This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz offers an in-depth look into Pam Bondi’s aggressive initiatives to reform the Department of Justice, address immigration challenges, and enhance national security. Through candid dialogue and strategic insights, Bondi articulates a clear vision for a DOJ that prioritizes public safety, upholds the rule of law, and restores integrity to federal law enforcement institutions.

Transcript

[Unknown Announcer]

The Philadelphia Eagles are Super bowl champions.

[Pam Bondi]

It's over.

[Ted Cruz]

Fly, Eagles, fly.

[Unknown Announcer]

Celebrate the big win with the official licensed Super Bowl Champions gear available [e-mail].

[Ted Cruz]

The Eagles win at Super Bowl 59.

[Unknown Announcer]

From jerseys to hats to must have collectibles, we've got everything you need to rep your team with pride. Don't wait. These styles won't last. Shop [e-mail] and gear up like a champion.

[Ryan]

Hello, it is Ryan and I was on a flight the other day playing one of my favorite social spin slot games on jumbaccasino.com I looked over the person sitting next to me and you know what they were doing? They were also playing Chumba Casino. Everybody's loving having fun with it. Chumba Casino is home to hundreds of casino style games that you can play for free, anytime, anywhere. So sign up [e-mail] to claim your free welcome bonus. That's chumbacasino.com and live the Chumba Life.

[Ted Cruz]

Sponsored by Chumba Casino. No purchase necessary. VGW Group void. We're prohibited by law 21 plus terms and conditions apply.

[Unknown Announcer]

This Saturday, February 22nd at 1:30pm Eastern, it's the Pro Volleyball Federation's first All Star match. The league's biggest stars will clash in a can't miss event hosting the Indy Metro area, home of the Indy Ignite. Catch every serve, spike and save live on cbs. Don't miss this historic showdown of volleyball's finest. The Pro Volleyball Federation All Star match this Saturday at 1:30pm Eastern on CBS. Be there.

[Unknown Host]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Ted Cruz live from CPAC 2025. Senator, it's I like this being our annual time to hang out with fun people.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, it is great to be back with cpac. And I gotta say, CPAC this year. There is energy, there's excitement. It turns out winning doesn't suck.

[Unknown Host]

It does not.

[Ted Cruz]

And we have a guest. We have the Attorney General of the United States, Pam Bondi.

[Pam Bondi]

So these guys never invite me to be on their podcast. They finally did and I get to do it in front of all of you. So this is awesome.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, Pam, I will tell you that there is some good karma to being on this podcast at CPAC with someone named J.D. vance. He's done all right for himself.

[Pam Bondi]

He's a great man.

[Ted Cruz]

So welcome.

[Pam Bondi]

Thank you.

[Ted Cruz]

You have been attorney general 15 days.

[Pam Bondi]

It feels like 15 years.

[Ted Cruz]

I believe you. And by the way, you just got some help an hour ago. The Senate just finished confirming.

[Pam Bondi]

Isn't that great? Been on the phone with him non stop.

[Ted Cruz]

I. I talked to him on the ride over here. He is going to do fantastic.

[Pam Bondi]

Sure is.

[Ted Cruz]

All right, let's start 15 days. You've come into what I think is the single most important cabinet position in this administration because we went through four years of Biden weaponizing the Department of Justice, using it to attack his enemies and to support his friends. So let me ask you, come into doj, you've got a mission. You've got a mission to restore integrity to the Department, to end the weaponization and politicization. How do you do that? How do you get that done?

[Pam Bondi]

You know, the volume, Senator, what concerned me the most, it's the volume of how bad it was. And it still is. We're working on it. It's day by day by day. But we've got a team of great people. And on day one, I issued 14 executive orders. And number one is the weaponization ends and it ends now. And that's what we did.

[Ted Cruz]

Let me ask you something. In the 15 days you've been there, how many DOJ employees have said something to the effect of, thank God, a lot of them? I believe you. Look, Look. I spent four years hearing from AUSA's Assistant US Attorneys, hearing from FBI agents, hearing from men and women who believe in the rule of law and were horrified at the politicization of the FBI and the doj. And so I know for a lot of good, honorable men and women who've devoted their careers to defending the Constitution, there's a lot of gratitude that they can get back to doing their job, their core function.

[Pam Bondi]

And that's thanks to Donald J. Trump getting back in office. And he gave us a clear directive, make America safe. And that's what we're going to do. And you know, these to start with, the law enforcement agencies talking about cash. These men and women didn't go to Quantico. They're not risking their lives to waste their time on all this politicization and raiding. Mar a Lago. Really stopping all of that is stopping. And we are returning them to their core function, fighting violent crime. And that's what the great majority of men and women in law enforcement, DEA, ATF, U.S. marshals, FBI, as well as the incredible legal team at the Justice Department. That's what they want to do.

[Ted Cruz]

So let's talk about one of the most lawless aspects of the last four years, which was the open borders that we saw and the 12 million illegal immigrants that have come into this country. You've had just two Weeks. But you've hit the ground running, going after the criminals, going after the murderers, going after the rapists, going after the child molesters, going after the Venezuelan gang members. Tell us, number one, what you're doing as Attorney General, that is making a real difference. That is already making America safer. And number two, I understand you have some breaking news concerning my home state of Texas, which I'm particularly proud to hear.

[Pam Bondi]

I do, I do. And the press really isn't even out yet. Joint Task Force Alpha that we elevated once we came in office, it's with the Department of Justice and the FBI and we work hand in hand with Homeland Security. Christine Ohm is awesome. We all work so well together. Joint Task Force Alpha just made a huge arrest in Juarez, Mexico. They were headed to Texas, to El Paso. Human smuggling. Yeah, huge. That's why we do what we do every day. That's why these agents risk their lives every single day. It's human smuggling. And a lot of children, a lot of children they're saying are safer because of this.

[Unknown Host]

Let me ask you a question, President Trump, and this has made headlines on what you're just talking about. We've designated these cartels as terrorist organizations. What does that allow you to do in your job? And Cash Patel now is the head of the FBI. What, what is that going to give you the ability to do and to go after them?

[Pam Bondi]

Well, Stephen Miller is doing a great job, as we are. Right. Leading this effort with all of us. Mike Waltz at dod, we all work so. Pete Hagseth, we all work so well together. And it gives us the ability. They are a terrorist group and it gives us the ability to go after them more ability anywhere in the world and treat them terrorists. They are terrorists. If you're bringing fentanyl into this country and killing our kids, you're a terrorist and we're coming after you.

[Unknown Host]

300 a day is the average that are dying in this country right now. When you took this job and you hear that number and you saw the inaction from the last administration, how angry did that make you?

[Pam Bondi]

So angry. You know, I was State AG before I became United States Attorney General and fentanyl was really just coming on the market. And now with this horrible open border policy just flowing, flowing across our borders and killing kids, killing adults every single day. And it's criminal that no one was doing anything to stop it. I can't comprehend how any administration, progressive nor conservative, how any administration could tolerate that and let that happen. And it ended day one with Donald Trump when he shut that border. I was at the border back in September. I went with Lara Trump and Morgan Ortegas and we were in Yuma, Arizona. And I saw firsthand, there is nothing humanitarian that was happening at that border. Nothing, Nothing. They have a rape tree where they're raping women as they're coming into this country. I saw firsthand piles and piles of passports just thrown from every country you can imagine, because the Biden administration was letting you walk right in the country if you didn't have a passport. They said they saw Asian Chinese individuals saying, oh, we're from Cuba. So they wrote down they're from Cuba, and let had to let them legally walk right in under that administration. But the drugs, the trafficking, I learned a new term, disposable child. The customs, the border. I mean, the border patrol agents told me that they saw a little boy. And they kept recognizing the same little boy over and over and over coming in. Because if you came into our country as a family unit, they just let you walk right in. This little child was being trafficked.

[Ted Cruz]

Yes.

[Pam Bondi]

Now, how they were getting him back to Mexico is beyond me, but they were bringing him time and time again. He wasn't their family, so who knows what happened to his parents.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, and I will say a number of people in the room gasped at a term you use, which unfortunately is a real term, rape tree. And it's something that we're seeing, we've been seeing for the last four years in Texas. We've seen it in Arizona that the cartels will go and violently rape women. They'll violently rape teenage girls, young girls, and then they will hang their underwear in the tree. And you'll find a tree down on the southern border with 10, 20 pairs of underwear as they're mocking law enforcement, saying we can do whatever we want. And for four years, the Biden Justice Department, they just turned a blind eye and they facilitated it. You know, you talked about the kids. So they had a policy. If you arrive with a kid, it's essentially a get out of jail free card. And so you started seeing a phenomenon that we've never seen in immigration before, which is single young men showing up with little kids. Now, that's not a normal pattern of migration, but we started seeing military age men showing up with little boys and little girls, many of whom are physically and sexually assaulted in transit. And the same kid, the cartels would recycle over and over and over again to bring in gang members, to bring in criminals. Now let me ask this. What is most effective? Stopping the invasion at the southern border.

[Pam Bondi]

The border, closing our borders, which is what we've done. Donald Trump has closed our border. But now, of course, we all know we have so many of these illegal aliens fighting age men, ages 13, 18 to 35 in our country, walking around our country. And President Trump has a strong directive on that.

[Ted Cruz]

How concerned are you right now about the 12 million illegal aliens who came in under Joe Biden and about the risk of terrorism, of Hamas, of Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the risk of terrorism targeting Americans across this country.

[Pam Bondi]

It's a huge risk. And we all know how bad it is now. And that's what Donald Trump is committed to do, is to take these people out of our country, to prosecute them, to deport them, to get them off our streets. And that's what all of these law enforcement agencies are doing. You know, Lake and Riley, of course, that beautiful young woman, University of Georgia, Lake and Riley is probably the most prominent name. But look how many Lake and Riley's are out there. One victim is too many.

[Ted Cruz]

Jocelyn Nungaree. Rachel Marin.

[Pam Bondi]

Right.

[Ted Cruz]

We.

[Pam Bondi]

Right.

[Ted Cruz]

I mean, the numbers every day. And I got to say so already in the first two weeks, you've sued New York, you've sued Chicago.

[Unknown Host]

You can clap for that.

[Ted Cruz]

These sanctuary cities that are fighting, and I've got to say Massachusetts in particular, actually, in our last podcast, we talked about this, how Massachusetts continues to this day to have violent child rapist illegal immigrants who they release on the streets. And they refuse to notify ice. They refuse. These are illegal immigrants who could be deported immediately. And the Massachusetts officials take criminals who violently rape little kids. Let me ask you, what is your message to a mayor, to a local official who wants to defy federal immigration law?

[Pam Bondi]

Well, our message is very clear. I sued Illinois First, Chicago, first day, first day. And I gave a very strong warning. If you don't comply with the law, you're next. And guess who didn't listen. New York. Kathy Hochul got sued. They all got sued in New York. And if you don't follow the law, you're going to be next because we are going to get violent criminals off our street. And you know, Senator, it's more than that. They're endangering the lives of our great men and women in law enforcement. That's what people don't understand. When you're hiding illegal aliens from law enforcement, you're endangering their lives. It's gonna stop.

[Ted Cruz]

So let me ask you, two weeks into it, you've been at doj. What's your assessment? Is it as Bad as you thought it would be? Is it better? Is it worse?

[Pam Bondi]

It's worse.

[Unknown Host]

You're inherited chaos.

[Pam Bondi]

Worse. Worse, meaning. Yeah, that that department had completely lost its mission of fighting violent crime. Look what they did to President Trump. Look at the weaponization. And weaponization ended. And the deep state is very real. I think all of you in this room know that it's very real. And people trying to undermine everything you're doing. You know, three weeks into it, I went in one department and found huge 20 by 20 glossies of Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, and Kamala Harris still hanging up in my office. They're gone, they're gone, they're gone. And guess what's replacing it? A very handsome photo of a man Donald Trump is in.

[Unknown Host]

Not the one in the hallway, right? That picture.

[Pam Bondi]

That one.

[Unknown Host]

That one. Okay, I like that one.

[Pam Bondi]

That one and replacing it. But I make light of that. But that's what's happening. You know, he had been in office three weeks, and the deep state still had those pictures hanging. And to me, that's defiant. It's insubordination, not going to happen. But you know what we said most people, the majority of the people are great people who went to law school, became prosecutors, became law enforcement agents to fight crime.

[Ted Cruz]

You've spent your professional life as a prosecutor. How important is it to you to go after bad guys and to get bad guys off the street and keep people safe?

[Pam Bondi]

It means everything. And the drug epidemic, you know, the fentanyl just flowing into our country now, the terrorists, the gangs, TDA, Transdagua, Ms. 13, all of the gangs who are now terrorist organizations, we've got to stop them. And that's, that's why we do what we do. And it's all, we all have to work together. And working with Homeland Security has been great, too.

[Ted Cruz]

So one of the most shocking statistics from the prior administration is the number 300,000, 300,000 children that the prior administration had in custody and that they lost, that they do not know where they are. We know that many of those children are being abused right now. Tell me about the efforts you and Homeland Security and the Trump administration, the efforts you are doing to find those children and to get them out of harm's way.

[Pam Bondi]

That's top priority, and that's Donald Trump's top priority, to find these victims and to save them. And that's what I don't. I truly can't comprehend how any administration would let that happen and not care. And that's what we're all fighting for. And, you know, you say, when, when you take a job with this incredible volume, you think, how do you do it? How do you. How do you focus every day? And you do it by saying, if I can save one life, it's worth it.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, it's a lot more than one compound.

[Pam Bondi]

That's how you compound one life.

[Ted Cruz]

And it is thousands and ultimately more. So I want to say something to the folks here at cpac, which is, as many of y'all know, Ben and I do this podcast, Verdict with Ted Cruz. We do it three days a week. We do it Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We've got roughly a million unique listeners all over the country. And we do this to go around the corporate media, to go directly to the American people and to bring the truth and bring the facts. So I want to ask everyone here, many of y'all already subscribed to the pod, but I want to ask everyone here to pull out your cell phone right now. Pull out your cell phone and text the word verdict. V, E, R, D, I C T. Text the word verdict to 24005. Again, 24005. When you text verdict to 24005, what you'll get back is, is a link, a link to subscribe to the podcast. Now, if you're under 40, you know what I'm talking about. And if you're not, ask your kids or ask your grandkids. Although I'll say if you're at cpac, you're pretty hip and connected. So you may know as well if you're here at cpac. But every Monday and subscribe doesn't mean.

[Unknown Host]

It costs you money. To quote your dad.

[Ted Cruz]

Oh, my father points out that he, you know, my dad is 85 and he said when he hears subscribe, he thinks it's a magazine subscription. There's no charge. It just magically appears in your phone early in the morning on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And we bring in guests like the Attorney General of the United States and we focus on what is happening. The victories that President Trump is winning and the news that the corporate media won't cover.

[Unknown Host]

I want to ask you.

[Ted Cruz]

24005.

[Unknown Announcer]

The Philadelphia Eagles are Super bowl champions.

[Pam Bondi]

It's over.

[Ted Cruz]

Fly, Eagles, fly.

[Unknown Announcer]

Celebrate the big win with the official licensed super bowl champions gear, available [e-mail].

[Ted Cruz]

The Eagles win at Super Bowl 59.

[Unknown Announcer]

From jerseys to hats to must have collectibles, we've got everything you need to rep your team with pride. Don't wait. These styles won't last. Shop [e-mail] and gear up like a champion.

[Ryan]

Hello, it is Ryan and I was on a flight the other day playing one of my favorite social spin slot games on jumbaccasino.com I looked over the person sitting next to me and you know what they were doing? They were also playing Chumba Casino. Everybody's loving having fun with it. Chumba Casino's home to hundreds of casino style games that you can play for free anytime, anywhere. So sign up [e-mail] to claim your free welcome bonus. That's chumbacasino.com and live the Chumba life.

[Ted Cruz]

Sponsored by Chumba Casino. No purchase necessary VGW Group void where prohibited by law 21/ terms and conditions apply.

[Unknown Announcer]

This Saturday, February 22nd at 1:30pm Eastern. It's the Pro Volleyball Federation's first All Star match. The league's biggest stars will clash in a can't miss event hosted in the Indy metro area, home of the Indy Ignite. Catch every serve, spike and save live on cbs. Don't miss this historic showdown of volleyball's finest. The Pro Volleyball Federation All Star Match this Saturday at 1:30pm Eastern on CBS. Be there.

[Unknown Host]

I want to ask you a question. It's one that I've been dying to ask you and it deals with all of the pardons that were given out from Joe Biden at the end. There were a lot that went to his family. It is what it is. There's one person he did not pardon that would be himself. There are a lot of people that think there should be accountability. Should this be something that is looked at to see what he did while he was president?

[Pam Bondi]

Don't you find it very interesting though, that they attempted to prosecute the president for having documents in the most secure place in the world other than the White House.

[Ted Cruz]

Mar?

[Pam Bondi]

A Lago. And he had security clearance to take them. Yet Joe Biden, who had no security clearance to take them at the time, had them in his garage with his drug addict son going in and out of his garage. Yet what did they say about him?

[Unknown Host]

Too old to prosecute.

[Pam Bondi]

Frail, frail man. But listen, Donald Trump and I have not talked about that at all. This is not about targeting. This is what they do to us. This is not about targeting. This is not about weaponization. This is about keeping America safe and going forward and prosecuting violent criminals. If you committed a crime in this country. No one is above the law. I will say that no one is above the law.

[Ted Cruz]

So, Pam, the media are going crazy about New York Mayor Eric Adams and the charges that were dismissed against him.

[Pam Bondi]

So glad you brought that up.

[Ted Cruz]

Tell us what the story is, what happened there and why were the charges dismissed?

[Pam Bondi]

Sure. And Emil, who has done an incredible job, he worked on this case, he looked at this case. It was an incredibly weak case filed to make deportation harder. That's why they did it. They took one of the biggest mayors in the country off the playing field in order to protect their sanctuary city. This case, it was so incredibly weak. It was about increases in airline tickets, upgrades in airline tickets in his official capacity. Without getting into all the details of the fact, I don't even think it could survive a verdict. Excuse me. Incredibly weak case. That is the weaponization of government. That's law, fair filing, that's lawfare. When you're filing cases like that, to keep someone who criticized Joe Biden, who said they took away his security clearance so he could not get the details, so he could not help enforce the deportation efforts in New York, and you know, these people are going after him ride a subway in New York. It's not safe. Violent crime is at an all time high and that's what they're doing. So it's not about weaponization. It's about ending their weaponization of the government and fighting violent crime and enabling cities like New York and mayors like Eric Adams to enforce Donald Trump's immigration policies.

[Unknown Host]

I want to ask you and go back saying, you said a moment ago we were talking about cartels and they have been able to set up networks and we see this coming up now more often, where the controlling states and cities and states and the entire flow, and they've been able to do this and set it up without having to worry that anyone's going to stop them. We're seeing this not on border states, but all over the country, this network. At what point do we get to start dismantling that? How long does that take? How much, how much time is that going to take? Because they've been here for quite some time with the last administration.

[Pam Bondi]

There's a lot I can't talk about now, but very publicly. I think you've seen a lot happen. A lot is happening every day. Our great men and women in law enforcement are out there. It's a joint effort with our office and with Kristi Noem. And again, we all work so well together. Whether it's Mike Waltz, Pete, y'all are friends.

[Unknown Host]

I think people don't understand this. Like this is a group in this administration. And you and I have talked about this on the show, you guys are friends. Like, y'all know each other before you got here. How important are those relationships that you say, hey, I trust. Excuse me. I trust you. I trust you. I trust you. I got your back. Let's go to work.

[Pam Bondi]

Vital and crucial. And Mike Watts and Christy, we're on the phone with each other all the time. And to change topic just a little bit, just, just to give you an example, Lee Zeldin, a dear friend of mine, right. Guy on President's Day, running the EPA now. Epa. Lee Zeldin, great administrator of epa. I'm on the phone hours with Scott Bessen, our Secretary of treasury, and Lee Zeldin. And you know, we've seen, thanks to Elon Musk, my buddies. Great work.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah.

[Pam Bondi]

And it's been reported. Look what they're doing at epi. I'm changing the subject a little bit, but the. They're giving out billions of dollars after Joe Biden lost the election, trying to push this money out the door, actually.

[Ted Cruz]

Shoveling cash out the windows as they said, gold bars.

[Pam Bondi]

Let's throw all the gold bars off the ship. And we're stopping them. We're stopping them in real time. We're going after them. But it's because we all pick up the phone and we talk directly to each other so we're able to work together. Talk to Marco Rubio and look at the men like Steve Witkoff out there, Rick Grinnell, what they're doing working with Marco and Mike Watson, all the great. The people that they're saving around the world. And that's thanks to one man, Donald Trump. He put all of us in these positions.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, and, and, and there's a turf wars. The consistent thread of the Cabinet nominees is that you're all change agents. You all came in with a mission. And it is. Listen, there has never been a first month of any presidency in the history of the United States of America, like the last 30 days.

[Unknown Host]

Amen.

[Ted Cruz]

And I'll tell you, I have had great joy turning to my Democrat colleagues in the Senate and just deadpanning, well, three years and 11 months to go, and they literally start twitching like they have facial ticks that they cannot suppress. But, Bart, Pam, one of the things that people like about this podcast that we try to do is we try to bring people behind the scenes to actually understand what's going on behind closed doors. So tell us about your first day as Attorney General. You're confirmed. And like day one, when you get sworn in, just walk everyone through what day one of being Attorney General of.

[Pam Bondi]

The United States is like, you go non stop. And I jokingly said it felt like 15 years because you're working seven days a week non stop. And we're all working with each other and everything we do, it overlaps. And especially with Department of Justice, especially too, with all this money going out the USA to all of these agencies and we're going to be helping all these agencies. But you just hit the ground running, literally. And I don't look at what time of day it is. I don't think I've slept in 15 days. But you don't want to. And then when you find out about this human trafficking ring that was just broken up, it's just, that's why we're all doing what we're doing and you just keep going forward. And our directive from our boss is so easy, especially on my end, make America safe. And so you just don't. Senator, you don't even. My hardest thing now is I forget to eat. You forget what time it is. And at 6:00 at night, why do I have a headache? Because I haven't eaten today. But you're going nonstop. And it's not me, it's an entire team. I've got Chad Meisel, I've got Emil, I've got Todd Blanche, thank goodness, coming in. And we've got Kash Patel now, so they better look out.

[Unknown Host]

How nice is it to have a boss and a guy by the name of Donald J. Trump who just lets you do your job?

[Pam Bondi]

Exactly.

[Unknown Host]

I mean, there's a lot of presidents in the past that have really tried to keep their thumb on people. It seems like he's saying, go and go, get it done and call me when you need me.

[Pam Bondi]

He has trusted all of us in all of our various capacities and all the different roles we have, whether it's education or agriculture, all the cabinet labor, all of the different cabinet secretaries, just to go out and do the best we can. And, you know, we want to make all of you proud and we want to fulfill his directive to make our country great. That man sure didn't need that job. He's a good friend of mine and I love, during my confirmation hearing when they try, they get on me because they say, I'm friends with Donald Trump. Yes, I'm very. No, I'm not friends with him. I'm good friends with him and I'm very proud to work for him.

[Ted Cruz]

You know, when you look at weaponization and politicization, part of it is using it to attack your political Opponents, and we've seen four years of that under Joe Biden. Another part of it is turning the other way at your political allies and refusing to enforce the law against them. And I think one of the most egregious examples we've seen over the last two years is the rising anti Semitism on college campuses.

[Unknown Host]

Amen.

[Ted Cruz]

The violent protesters and rioters, many of whom are not students, are not affiliated with the universities, and they are threatening students. You look at Columbia University, the Orthodox rabbi there sent out an email to the Jewish students on campus and said, do not come to campus because the university cannot and will not keep you safe. And the Biden Justice Department did nothing. They investigated nobody. They didn't follow the money, they didn't indict anyone, they didn't prosecute anyone, and they did not enforce Title 6 of the Civil rights laws, which say that if that. That if you are tolerating harassment on the basis of ethnicity or religion, that you will have your federal funds cut off. How is the Department of Justice different today? And what will your approach be to anti Semitism and threats of violence directed against Jewish students on campus or any other students on campus?

[Pam Bondi]

We have an October 7th task force that we started, and we will protect you. When I was just a citizen, before I had this job, what you said, I'm watching these. These aren't peaceful protests. We all believe in peaceful protest. Oh, I'm sorry. Unless you're a liberal and you don't want a parent to quietly pray outside an abortion clinic, or you're a counselor or a parent at a school board, they're going to call you a domestic terrorist.

[Unknown Host]

Domestic terrorist. Yeah.

[Pam Bondi]

But I'm screaming at my TV, watching these violent protests, you know, the last since October 7th, you're watching this happen. And all of our students deserve to be saved. And first of all, these students who are here on visas, who are threatening our American students need to be kicked out of this country.

[Ted Cruz]

Amen. It is refreshingly simple to have an attorney General who has the approach that you're going to follow the law and enforce the law. And that, sadly, has been missing for the last four years.

[Pam Bondi]

It's pretty basic. Isn't.

[Ted Cruz]

Should not be complicated. Let me ask you, what keeps you up at night? What scares you in the first two weeks in this job?

[Pam Bondi]

Pretty much everything. I don't sleep at night anymore, of course. Everything we talked about, the drugs, the cartels, the Great. Maybe I'll get a little sleep tonight. Based on the arrests that were just made, the children that are being trafficked. Things that have been so personal to me since I was a state prosecutor and then since I was state attorney general. Now you just get to help people on a bigger level, which is pretty, pretty cool to get to do that. But most recently, it's really been what Elon has been uncovering and the usaid, the, the waste at epa. This money, trillions of dollars, they believe, just being handed out, which is most likely making a round trip well and going to terrorist organizations.

[Ted Cruz]

And you are on the front line of defending the president and Elon Musk and Doge and all the effort they're doing. And every day we are seeing Democrat attorneys general and Democrat interest groups suing the president, suing Elon Musk, suing the federal government. And the Department of Justice is on the front lines. And sadly, we're seeing left wing activist judges, individual district court judges issuing nationwide injunctions. Tell us about what it's like defending against those lawsuits and give us your thoughts on the authority of one radical district judge to try to run the executive branch and issue a nationwide injunction.

[Pam Bondi]

Two words, we're winning. But, yeah, so you've got, you've got one.

[Unknown Host]

I like that answer.

[Pam Bondi]

One unelected district judge trying to tell President Trump, who was elected overwhelmingly by the American people, where federal funds can go. We're winning even in liberal courts, by the way, Senator, winning. And if not, we're going to go all the way to the Supreme Court and keep winning.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, Pam, let me say, you and I have been friends a long time. I am thrilled with the job you're doing. I'm thrilled. I was thrilled when the president announced your nomination. And let me say, on behalf of 31 million Texans and Americans across this country, thank you. Thank you for stepping forward and answering the call. Thank you for pouring your heart into defending this nation, into keeping my kids safe, keeping Ben's kids safe, keeping all of our kids safe. And thank you for remaining faithful to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and restoring integrity to the Department of Justice. It is desperately needed and you're doing a hell of a job.

[Pam Bondi]

Thank you, my friend. And thank you for fighting for us.

[Unknown Host]

Thank you guys here for being here as well. Don't forget, we do this show Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So make sure you hit that subscribe or auto download button. God bless America.

[Pam Bondi]

Thank you, my friend. Thank you.

[Unknown Announcer]

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[Pam Bondi]

It's over.

[Ted Cruz]

Fly, Eagles, fly.

[Unknown Announcer]

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[Ted Cruz]

The Eagles win at Super Bowl 59.

[Unknown Announcer]

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