Pam Bondi: LA protesters "very different" to Jan. 6 rioters Trump pardoned
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Attorney General Pam Bondi in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The Trump administration is "not scared to go further" in its response to Los Angeles' ongoing fiery protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday.
Why it matters: President Trump has referred to protesters as "insurrectionists" and has already taken the rare steps of federalizing California's National Guard and deploying the Marines to LA, prompting reporters to ask Bondi whether he'll next use emergency powers under the Insurrection Act.
- California's Democratic leaders have expressed strong opposition to the federal response, and Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) have traded insults while blaming each other for the unrest.
What they're saying: "Right now, in California, what we're doing is working," Bondi said, after being asked about whether Trump would invoke the 1807 law that allows presidents to deploy U.S. troops to quell domestic unrest.
- "By bringing in the National Guard, by bringing in the Marines, right now, to back them up, to protect our federal buildings, to protect highways, to protect the citizens," she said during her briefing with reporters.
- "So, right now, in California, we're at a good point. We're not scared to go further. We're not frightened to do something else if we need to."
- Bondi expressed hope that the federal action and the downtown night-time curfew that LA Mayor Karen Bass imposed on Tuesday to address looting and vandalism would bring the situation under control.
Of note: Newsom in a Tuesday night address said that Trump is "not opposed to lawlessness and violence, as long as it serves HIM," adding: "What more evidence do we need than Jan. 6th?"
- A reporter asked Bondi whether there was a double standard in the administration defending law enforcement during the current protests when Trump pardoned most of the roughly 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters during his first day back in office.
- "Well, this is very different," Bondi said. "These are people out there hurting people in California right now. This is ongoing."
State of play: There have been six days of ICE protests in LA, and they've triggered similar demonstrations nationwide.
- The Marines have now "completed required training" and will be deployed during protests in the next 48 hours, per a U.S. Northern Command Wednesday evening statement.
- There were no immediate reports of major incidents in downtown LA after the 8pm-6am curfew took effect.
Zoom out: ICE protests have been taking place in other major cities, including New York, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, D.C., Denver, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Phoenix and Seattle.
- In Spokane, protests prompted the Washington city's mayor to declare a state of emergency and announce a curfew in certain areas from 9:30pm-5am local time.
Go deeper: MAGA feasts on red meat as Trump escalates L.A. showdown
