Welcome to Talking Fed's one-on-one, deep-dive discussions with national figures about the most fascinating and consequential issues defining our culture and shaping our lives.

I'm your host, Harry Littman. The transition from a government

dedicated to the rule of law and the public interest to one with a North Star of serving

Donald Trump's personal and political interests has been at its most stark and unnerving at the

Department of Justice, where Attorney General Pam Bondi

has undertaken a series of moves that are the antithesis in many people's views, including

mine, of the DOJ credo of justice without fear or favor. It's been all we can do to chronicle the jaw-dropping maneuvers coming out of DOJ

without taking a step back to look at the larger trends and implications of Bondi's tenure.

Until now, that is, when we have the most in-depth and thoughtful account of the nation's 87th

Attorney General. And this by one of the

deans of American legal journalism, Ruth Marcus, currently a contributing writer for the New Yorker.

Marcus joined the Washington Post in 1984, fresh from graduation from Harvard Law School,

and remain there until March of this year, serving as deputy

editorial page editor, columnist, and political correspondent. She is also the author of

Supreme Ambition, Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover, a book examining the

confirmation battles that reshaped the Supreme Court. She joins us to discuss her

article, Pam Bondi's Power Play, which is in the August 18th issue of the New Yorker. Ruth Marcus,

my old colleague and boss, thanks for joining. It's great to see you, Harry, and it's great to be here.

Okay, so the subtext of your

article in the print is Donald Trump now has the Attorney General. He always wanted an ally willing

to harness the law to enable his agenda. And you portray Bondi as perhaps the least

independent Attorney General and modern history.

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