“Pam Bondi’s swift dismissal on Thursday underscores a reality that has met Trump loyalists from Jeff Sessions to Kristi Noem – no amount of loyalty is enough to save oneself from being dumped by Donald Trump.
“Since the president assumed office last year, there have been few people more important to his effort to remake government than Bondi, his longtime friend.”
The Guardian knows that Bondi was scheduled to be deposed by a congressional committee in a week and half, and has written about it previously but somehow didn’t see that as important enough to mention in the article about her firing. It’s disappointing journalism not to pull at that thread further. I suspect it’s the actual motivation to fire her at this exact moment.
^^^ she wasn’t dumped, she was saved. Now she’ll get some cushy job next to noem were they just collect checks and keep furthering the construction of the american reich.
Can they still question her?
I haven’t found any informed opinions on the matter, but I see a few high level options:
- Her successor goes to the hearing instead and answers “I don’t know, I wasn’t there” to everything
- She appears and answers “my security clearance was revoked when I got fired so I can’t discuss it”
- Congressional shenanigans ensue to cancel her hearing on a thin pretext of she’s no longer the AG. The red team loves a thin pretext
If she’s found in contempt, she’ll be pardoned.
She won’t have a sudden change of heart and decide to give up all the dirt. She could have been more effective on the right side of history while she was still the AG, so it would be absolutely stupid of her to turn now.
But how is the Dow?
Head in the sand, ignoring the threat of collapse of the petrodollar, thus America’s ability to prop up its $39T national debt, thus the American economy.
France just had a boat successfully transit the straight of Hormuz, but I see no word on whether they paid a toll for the privilege or what currency they used for it. But other reporting says that the tollbooth only takes yuan now, and that’s a huge step towards destabilizing the dollar.
Smart, career public servants have long understood the petrodolllar advantage, but the government leadership has been nearly wiped clean and replaced by sycophants. They may or may not understand it, but they’re certainly not prepared to deal with it.
As far as I can see, the Russian interference that helped put Donny (back) into the White House is still paying off really well.
I think Iran taking payment in renminbi is more about US sanctions than the dollar’s fall from grace.
Though two things can be true.
It is, but the linked article is worth reading in its entirety. Relevant excerpt:
Our leverage in enforcing compliance originates in part through our control of the global, US dollar-denominated economy. For those sanctioned countries, the cost of doing business rises dramatically. International settlements for trade become impossible or very difficult. Imagine having to pay for everything in cash – and imagine doing it in a currency no one else will accept.
That was the experience of Russia when the country was sanctioned after it invaded Ukraine. The Russians reacted by working with China and a handful of other countries to accelerate efforts to replace Swift and the US dollar as the reference currency for much of what they do, effectively nullifying a lot of those sanctions. Their systems, SPFS and CIPS, exist outside the world of the dollar. They can exchange goods and commodities seamlessly in ruble-yuan transactions. Brazil, India and South Africa are said to be working to integrate with the Chinese system.
It’s too late to undo. The Hormuz tollbooth currency is only a small part of it, but I’m really curious as to whether France paid in yuan. If so it would be would be very telling.
I think if China were willing to run its currency in the world’s interest as the US has largely done since Bretton Woods the switch would have happened already.
China is too married to capital controls and undervaluing the renminbi.
I think the euro is more likely to become the primary reserve currency. Ze Germans love strong currency.
Plus Europe’s refusal to form a political union means every state(?) government’s bonds pay big dividends.
Nobody demands loyalty from Rump
