Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general as the transition moves forward. Attorney General Pam Bondi is expected to move to a private sector position, with details evidently soon to be announced. This development becomes, among broader charges, changes in the administration.
00:00:42.560Attorney General Pam Bondi is departing from her role in the Trump administration,
00:00:47.720terminated today by President Donald Trump.
00:00:51.260Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general as the transition moves forward.
00:00:57.600Now, there was some speculation, I believe it was in the New York Times, that a former New York congressman and current EPA director, Lee Zeldin, who is an attorney, would be appointed attorney general.
00:01:13.780I like Lee Zeldin, although I'm not aware that he ever actually practiced law.
00:01:19.300And frankly, I think he's doing a great job right where he is.
00:01:22.720Also, quite candidly, I'm not certain that any Republican could be confirmed to the Attorney
00:01:30.760General's position given the current makeup of the U.S. Senate. There's 50 votes for the Save
00:01:37.760America Act, but the Majority Leader, John Thune, refuses to call the question, citing the arcane
00:01:47.720Senate rule regarding the filibuster. That means that 60 senators must favor a vote on any piece
00:01:56.460of legislation or any nomination. That means, in my view, that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche
00:02:03.620will continue to serve as Acting Attorney General for the time being. The president praised
00:02:10.500Bondi's tenure, calling her a great American patriot, and highlighted her role in what he
00:02:15.820described as a sweeping crackdown on crime nationwide, it is true that under Bondi's
00:02:21.500stewardship, violent crime, including murder, has dropped to historic lows during the time
00:02:28.300that she was the head of the DOJ. Bondi is expected to move to a private sector position,
00:02:33.260with details evidently soon to be announced. In a statement, the new interim Attorney General,
00:02:40.360Todd Blanche thanked both Pam Bondi and President Trump pledging continuity in the department's
00:02:46.320priorities. He emphasized strong support for law enforcement and reaffirmed a commitment
00:02:52.240to public safety, signaling that the administration's tough on crime agenda
00:02:56.800will remain firmly in place. Sources tell me that Bondi met with the president prior to Wednesday
00:03:03.740night's White House address, and it has since returned to her home in Florida. This development
00:03:10.380becomes, among broader charges, changes in the administration. Earlier this year, you may remember
00:03:15.660former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was reassigned, with Oklahoma Senator Mark Wayne
00:03:22.800Mullen stepping into that role. Now, Bondi was removed, I think, because of the president's
00:03:29.400frustration over the lack of accountability and justice regarding the Russian collusion hoax.
00:03:37.360The irony, of course, is that according to multiple current Trump administration officials
00:03:42.560with access to both Bondi and the president, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was
00:03:49.680just named acting attorney general, has actually been the main roadblock holding up prosecutions
00:03:55.520of former Biden and Obama officials, state-level politicians, and Antifa terrorists.
00:04:03.120Very specifically, Todd Blanche, the now acting attorney general, personally shut down the
00:04:08.900Department of Justice's Weaponization Task Force and is responsible for sidelining Ed
00:04:15.400Martin, the veteran attorney who had been appointed to that position.
00:04:20.740Blanche sees himself as a quote-unquote principled conservative, which is false because actually
00:04:27.080he's a liberal Democrat, and believes that investigating the abuse of power
00:04:33.320by either Robert Mueller or by Jack Smith is in itself abuse of power.
00:04:40.880I would point out to the acting attorney general that this is not about retaliation and revenge.
00:04:47.520This is about justice and accountability. He's privately told his staff that he would not
00:04:55.000stoop to that level. Under Todd Blanche, the failures of the Department of Justice to investigate
00:05:00.720the former officials who orchestrated the greatest dirty trick in the history of American politics
00:05:07.660and the greatest single abuse of power in the history of the country, the Russian collusion
00:05:14.740hoax is being unfairly blamed on Pam Bondi. Now, Todd Blanche has done a couple of things I agree
00:05:22.260with. He has been willing to fire U.S. attorneys who were incorrectly and inappropriately appointed
00:05:30.900to that position by a bank of federal judges. See, here's this is how this works. There's a
00:05:37.320Senate tradition that when a U.S. attorney for any given state or jurisdiction is appointed,
00:05:44.500it requires the acquiescence of both U.S. senators from that state, regardless of party.
00:05:53.520So when Joe Biden was president, states like Florida that have two Republican senators both
00:05:59.880approved the Biden nominees to that position. That was true broadly across the board. In other
00:06:07.240words, Republican U.S. senators recognized that Joe Biden had been elected president and they
00:06:12.660allowed him to have his appointees, not under Donald Trump. Under Donald Trump, Democrats have
00:06:19.480stonewalled virtually every U.S. attorney appointed by the president simply by refusing to sign what
00:06:27.540they call a blue slip. I don't know if there's physically actually a blue slip or whether that
00:06:33.580is a reference to this tradition. This isn't a law. This isn't even a Senate rule. This is a
00:06:40.680tradition, one that the Republicans in the Senate refuse to violate. So, Todd Blanch,
00:06:49.500on at least two occasions, when federal judges moved to fill a U.S. attorney's position
00:06:56.260that had been vacated because of the Senate's refusal to confirm the president's appointee,
00:07:03.660for example, Alina Haba in the state of New Jersey, they have moved to fill that with one of
00:07:10.740their own, somebody favorable to the judges. Todd Blanche has had the courage to fire those people,
00:07:18.580recreating the vacancy. Under the Vacancies Act, that should allow the president to appoint a new
00:07:25.460acting U.S. attorney, who by law can serve for 120 days. The controversial decision in New Jersey
00:07:35.160to fire Alina Haba, the controversial decision in the Eastern District of Virginia0.99
00:07:42.840to fire Lindsay Halligan, are both legally and judicially incorrect, and I believe both will be
00:07:51.520overturned. But in the meantime, Donald Trump doesn't even get to have his own U.S. attorneys,
00:07:58.840his own federal prosecutors. Spotlight is now on Todd Blanche. The question is very simple.
00:08:05.760Will those in the Biden and Obama administrations who are guilty of seditious conspiracy
00:08:12.480to remove Donald Trump based on totally fraudulent evidence and the chain of events
00:08:18.720that began in July of 2016 morphed into the fake Russian collusion hoax in which the
00:08:27.340probable cause for the FISA court approving the spying on Donald Trump's campaign
00:08:33.280and for the appointment of Robert Mueller was non-existent. That, of course, turned into the
00:08:41.600three-year Russian collusion hoax in which Robert Mueller came up completely and totally
00:08:48.460empty-handed in terms of actual Russian interference in our elections, but still
00:08:54.200attempted to destroy the lives and the administration of President Donald Trump,
00:08:58.820General Michael Flynn, and, well, me. So the real question is, will we have accountability
00:09:06.680and justice under Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche? The jury is out. In the meantime,
00:09:14.340However, there are other claims, notably by the independent journalist Laura Loomer, who insisted this morning that the president would soon fire or there would be a resignation from the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard.
00:09:36.520This story is completely and totally false.
00:09:43.400And Loomer, as she often is, is wrong.
00:09:47.000Now, Laura Loomer and I used to be close friends.
00:09:49.580She was a strong supporter of justice in my case.
00:09:52.360She realized that I had been framed by a vengeful Justice Department and really was
00:09:58.620prosecuted not because I did anything wrong, but because I simply refused to give false
00:10:04.800testimony against President Donald Trump.
00:10:07.560But somehow along the way here, Laura Loomer has gone off the rails. Her maniacal hatred0.99
00:10:15.040for Tulsi Gabbard is somewhat puzzling. It was Tulsi Gabbard, who in her position as the director
00:10:23.000of national intelligence, declassified all of the documents that prove that there was a seditious
00:10:30.460conspiracy involving Obama, Biden, CIA Director John Brennan, FBI Director James Comey, Acting
00:10:39.040Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, National Security Advisor Susan Rice, the former Director of National
00:10:46.560Intelligence General James Clapper, and others to frame Donald Trump for non-exclusive, non-declassified
00:10:58.320for totally fraudulent evidence. What's surprising here, of course, is that the current CIA director,
00:11:08.380John Radcliffe, served in the first Trump administration as the director of national
00:11:13.480intelligence and could have declassified all of these documents prior to the 2024 election,
00:11:20.540prior to the 2020 election, I should say, and did not do so. Kelsey Gabbard has had the courage to
00:11:28.740do that. Kelsey Gabbard is also a decorated combat veteran of the war in Iraq, served her country
00:11:37.360with honor. She remains a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, and it is presupposed,
00:11:47.260although she never talked out of school, that she may not have taken as hard a line
00:11:52.260against the war in Iran as others. Now, I think that within any presidential administration,
00:12:02.680diversity of opinion is actually valuable. Tulsi Gabbard's job was to get the very best
00:12:08.920intelligence she could and give it to the president of the United States. She did.
00:12:13.440The president decided that an attack on Iran was appropriate, and I agree.1.00
00:12:20.180Tulsi Gabbard never criticized or disagreed with the commander-in-chief.
00:12:23.820She supported that decision, and their internal conversations are covered by executive privilege.
00:12:30.440But the Nihal Khans have been manic in their desire to destroy Tulsi Gabbard1.00
00:12:36.480for reasons that I frankly don't understand.
00:12:40.280Again, if you see this later on today and you see these continuing claims on social media that Tulsi Gabbard is about to be fired or is planning to resign, those claims are categorically false.
00:12:58.340Trust me on this. I have sources at the very, very, very top.
00:13:04.500It also means you have to take anything that the investigative independent journalist Laura
00:13:09.420Loomer says with a grain of salt. You see, she is a war hawk and she is a full-throated supporter0.99
00:13:17.860of broadening the war in Iran, which I think is politically very dangerous and contrary
00:13:26.180to the policies of President Trump. See, what Trump has done in Iran is quite different than
00:13:31.140the neocon strategy of endless foreign war. No boots on the ground, not tens or 20 or 30,000
00:13:40.680American casualties, and not billions in new defense contracts for companies like
00:13:46.700Halliburton and General Dynamics. Now, what Trump is engaged in, and which I completely support,
00:13:53.060based on everything I know is very limited, focused, but incredibly lethal use of American
00:14:01.700power to prevent the Iranian regime from having a nuclear bomb. We know from the claims at the
00:14:10.980negotiation table, plus our own intelligence, that the Iranians had enough enriched uranium
00:14:17.900to build at least seven, and perhaps as many as 11, nuclear bombs.
00:14:24.740So Tulsi Gabbard going nowhere other than up and remaining in this crucial job.
00:14:30.420You heard it here first on The Stone's Home.
00:21:06.700The new acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, could declare Tina Peters to be a witness
00:21:13.920in a federal prosecution regarding election integrity
00:21:17.660and could send federal marshals into Colorado to bring her to Washington.0.96
00:21:22.300If the governor wants to have a firefight between the state police and federal marshals, he should read the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution.
00:21:33.800Unfortunately, the Justice Department has not used that tactic to free a woman who is very clearly on the cusp of death and who urgently needs medical care.
00:21:44.480It's time for Tina Peters to be a free woman.1.00
00:21:46.980the fact that she was thrown in prison for actually having the courage to investigate
00:21:51.400and expose election fraud is a stain on our country. I say let her be free and lock up the1.00
00:21:59.020interests who committed the immense election fraud itself in 2020. Meanwhile, Senate Minority
00:22:06.500Leader Chuck Schumer, himself sweating whether he will face a primary in New York State,
00:22:12.860potentially from Bronx Congresswoman AOC, a contest that he would lose, or could be dumped
00:22:22.180by his fellow Senate Democrats who correctly see him as a dinosaur, has now been forced to
00:22:29.380acknowledge that the Senate Democrats were responsible for delaying funding for the
00:22:34.820Department of Homeland Security while ultimately failing to secure any of their key demands.
00:22:39.620In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, I've been on his show, I can tell you this guy has the worst breath of anybody you've ever met, defended the delay, claiming that Democrats were pushing to reform immigration and customs enforcement and the Customs and Border Protection, which he labeled lawless.
00:22:59.900It's been a long time since Chuck's been in a courtroom, but I think he's wrong about the law.
00:23:04.100The final deal passed the Senate includes no such reforms, leaving funding for both agencies completely unchanged.
00:23:12.640Pressed by Blitzer, who poses as a journalist but is in fact a propagandist, on whether Democrats had simply engaged in political posturing,
00:23:21.980Schumer pushed back but also conceded that existing funding for ICE and the Border Patrol remains in place from prior legislation.
00:23:31.280Critics argue the delay accomplished little beyond disrupting government operations.
00:23:35.460The standoff contributed to a partial shutdown impacting the DHS components, including airport security.
00:23:45.120Those operations under TSA continued because President Trump very shrewdly sent in ICE agents to back up those TSA agents who remained on the job despite the fact that they weren't getting paychecks.
00:24:00.480You may have missed this, but the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, said that he would happily voluntarily pay the salaries of all those TSA agents until this matter was resolved.
00:24:12.660That became unnecessary as the Democrats ultimately folded.
00:24:17.920Republicans have pointed to this episode as further evidence of the misplaced priorities
00:24:22.580of the Democrats, arguing the Democrats chose to hold up essential funding in an attempt to
00:24:27.820weaken immigration enforcement, only to walk away without any results. The legislation now
00:24:33.520heads back to the House after previously being rejected. If approved, it will be sent to the
00:24:38.340president's desk. So the outcome underscores a clear message the efforts to defund or overhaul
00:24:44.240ICE and the Border Patrol remain out of step with the need for strong, consistent immigration
00:24:50.220enforcement and public safety across the country. Let me point out that virtually every respected
00:24:57.260public poll shows that 80 plus percent of the American people support the deportation of
00:25:04.100dangerous illegal immigrants in this country. The president remains on track for that important1.00
00:25:10.320engagement. Meanwhile, federal authorities are on a heightened alert after ISIS issued a
00:25:16.400chilling global call for attacks targeting churches and synagogues during the Easter
00:25:22.320and Passover holidays. According to intelligence reports, the terror group used its propaganda
00:25:27.500network to encourage followers to carry out arson and violence across the United States,
00:25:32.440Europe, and the Middle East. The message reportedly frames such attacks as acts of
00:25:37.940religious duty, raising concerns about so-called lone wolf extremists who may be inspired by this
00:25:45.040online chatter. Security experts warn that the timing is particularly dangerous as Easter and
00:25:51.380Passover bring large gatherings and places of worship, potentially increasing vulnerability.
00:25:57.380Analysts say that ISIS continues to rely on decentralized internet-based radicalization,
00:26:03.560making these threats much harder for U.S. officials to detect and prevent.
00:26:08.880The warnings come amid broader instability in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf,
00:26:13.340including tensions surrounding Jerusalem and ongoing conflict, of course, involving Iran.
00:26:19.780At the same time, reports indicate that a major detention camp in Syria,
00:26:25.100once holding ISIS-linked individuals, has been largely emptied following widespread escapes,
00:26:30.900further heightening global security concerns.
00:26:36.220The threat underscores the urgent need for vigilance at home and a firm stance against terrorism abroad.
00:26:43.340Weak border policies and lax enforcement are only increasing the risk of dangerous individuals entering Western countries.
00:26:51.860Law enforcement agencies are urging communities to remain alert while increasing security around these important religious holidays.
00:26:58.840As America is gathered to celebrate sacred holidays, they should consider exercising their Second Amendment rights.0.97
00:27:06.060Don't be a sitting duck for these maniacs. Protect yourself and your community as the Founding Fathers intended if you are required to do so.
00:27:14.140Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is calling out the major insurance companies, including State Farm, urging them to get their act together after meeting with California officials and hearing firsthand from victims of the state's devastating 2025 wildfires.
00:27:30.600The fires, including the Palisades and Eaton blazes outside of Los Angeles, destroyed more than 12,000 structures and claimed dozens of lives, leading thousands of families struggling to rebuild.
00:27:44.140In a statement, President Trump criticized insurers for collecting years of premium payments only to fall short when policyholders needed to help the most.
00:27:53.500The president has directed his extremely able EPA administrator, Lee Zeldin, to compile a list of insurance companies that acted responsibly, as well as those that failed to deliver for disaster victims.
00:28:06.200Right here in my home state of Florida, we've seen a similar problem where Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, and the overwhelmingly Republican majorities in the House and the Senate, passed a law that says if your home is destroyed in a hurricane and the offer made to you by your insurance company is unfair, you have no right to sue them.
00:28:31.400Now, I'm not a big supporter of the trial bar, but I think that that's entirely unfair.
00:28:37.640And yet another example of the abuses by these major insurance companies and the legislators who regulate them.
00:28:48.040State and local officials in California have already launched investigations into state farms handling of wildlife claims, citing complaints of delays, underpayment and poor communications.
00:29:00.700Critics say these practices have slowed recovery efforts and added unnecessary hardship for families trying to rebuild.
00:29:08.880Despite those concerns, State Farm maintains it has processed more than 1,300-500 claims and paid out billions of dollars, with total payouts expected to climb even higher.
00:29:21.460For many, the situation highlights the broader issue of large corporations failing to meet their obligations to everyday Americans in times of crisis.
00:29:32.220Supporters of the president says push for accountability sends a clear message that Americans who play by the rules and pay their premiums must be able to count on their insurance company in times of distress.
00:29:47.060when disaster strikes, no bureaucratic delays or corporate excuses should be allowed.
00:29:55.140Vice President J.D. Vance, who President Trump has named as the country's anti-fraud czar,
00:30:01.560is touting a major victory in the Trump administration's efforts,
00:30:05.040announcing the arrest of multiple suspects accused of stealing more than $50 million
00:30:11.100from American health care and hospice services.
00:30:14.280Federal law enforcement executed a coordinated series of arrests and search warrants across Los Angeles yesterday as part of Operation Never Say Die, targeting 11 defendants allegedly involved in large-scale fraud schemes.
00:30:30.160Officials say the suspects will face federal charges as the investigation continues.
00:30:36.740Vice President Vance praised the swift action, emphasizing that the administration's anti-fraud task force is now delivering results.
00:30:48.680He credited federal prosecutors and health officials for aggressively pursuing those who are exploiting these taxpayer-funded programs.
00:30:58.680The operation is part of a broader effort launched under President Trump,
00:31:02.600who appointed Vice President J.D. Vance to lead the fight against government waste and abuse.
00:31:08.940So far, authorities have suspended more than 200 hospice and health care providers in California alone due to suspected fraud,
00:31:17.740numbers that officials say are expected to rise significantly in the coming weeks.
00:31:23.220Administration leaders argue that finding and exposing widespread abuse that went unchecked for years is just beginning.
00:31:31.960The director of the Center for Medicare and Medical Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, noted that state leadership accomplished far less in recent years.
00:31:43.560The crackdown demonstrates a renewed commitment to accountability, protecting both taxpayers and the most vulnerable patients.
00:31:51.060As the investigation expands, officials say more arrests and suspensions are likely, sending a clear message that those who defrauded the system will be held responsible under the Trump administration's law and order approach.
00:32:06.180I'm Roger Stone. You're listening to The Stone Zone, and we'll be right back.
00:32:13.740The Stone Zone, entertaining and informative on the Red Apple Podcast Network.
00:32:23.120Once again, as we said at the top of the show, reports that President Donald Trump would either fire the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, or that she would resign from her posts are categorically false.
00:32:37.060And we await the confirmation of that with a formal statement from the White House later today.
00:32:43.060today. Once again, if you don't already know this, not everything you see on social media
00:32:49.620is correct. So trust but verify. Meanwhile, Texas Congressman Keith Self is raising alarm over the
00:32:58.300presence of Sharia law adherent enclaves operating with the United States, pointing specifically
00:33:05.500to a community in Plano, Texas. Self says the development centered around East Plano's
00:33:12.260Islamic Center has existed for more than a decade and represents what he calls a parallel society
00:33:19.440that does not fully align with American legal and cultural norms. He argues the issue is not
00:33:25.180theoretical, but already unfolding in communities across the country. The congressman also highlighted
00:33:31.560when he described a troubling pattern of Islamic centers being built near law enforcement facilities,
00:33:37.540suggesting it is a form of intimidation and a way to undermine our constitutional system of law.
00:33:44.800Unchecked migration and policies that prioritize multiculturalism over integration are creating
00:33:52.180divided communities with competing systems of norms and authority. We see it in Texas.
00:33:58.060We see it in Dearborn, Michigan. We see it in Minneapolis, Minnesota. And soon, under the
00:34:04.160Mayor Mandami, we will see it in New York City, if we don't see it already. And when they come
00:34:09.900in from the Third World, they're not sending their best. They come here to defraud and feast1.00
00:34:14.360upon the host country they're invading. The solution is clear. We must reaffirm the rule0.95
00:34:20.200of law requiring full assimilation into American civil life and ensure that no parallel systems
00:34:26.640operate outside the Constitution. I'm Italian-Americans. When Italians move to America,1.00
00:34:33.280they assimilated into America. They learned to speak English, they obeyed American law,
00:34:39.560and they were fully integrated into American society. Also true of the Irish, the Polish,
00:34:46.540the Hungarians, the Greeks, and every individual who was an immigrant who came to this country.
00:34:54.480What we see today is quite different. Congressman Self is leading the anti-Sharia law caucus in
00:35:01.660Congress. Sharia law is inconsistent with the Constitution of the United States and is inconsistent0.82
00:35:08.180with our laws. Getting on the horn with your congressman or congresswoman and find out if
00:35:15.600they're in the caucus, and if so, ask them why not. Demand that they join. We do not want to
00:35:20.920become like Europe, which is today spiraling out of control under the yoke of radical Islam.1.00
00:35:27.100Islam is simply incompatible with Western civilization.1.00
00:35:32.520Meanwhile, a new study from Stanford University is raising serious concerns about the growing influence of artificial intelligence on everyday decision making, especially among younger Americans.
00:35:44.160Reaches found that popular AI chatbots, including systems like ChatGPT and other leading platforms, tend to agree with users far more often than humans do, even when the user is clearly wrong.
00:35:57.480I decided to test this out yesterday, and I asked a very popular AI outlet whether Lee Harvey Oswald killed President John F. Kennedy.
00:36:06.500I then proceeded to argue with the computer for almost 45 minutes until I realized that it was fruitless and that they would never see the truth.
00:36:15.940AI, in my opinion, is extraordinarily dangerous.
00:36:18.720I've seen numerous videos of myself saying things that I never actually said.
00:36:24.880Sometimes they're so clumsy that the most basic AI detection software programs can show you that they are a fraud.
00:36:33.980Remember when there were phone calls made to every home in New Hampshire from President Joe Biden urging voters not to vote in that state's Democratic primary?
00:36:42.800I do. It was AI showing why AI is extraordinarily dangerous.
00:36:48.840I think AI has many positive attributes, but I think there should be strict laws against impersonation and strict laws against fabricating the words and images of private individuals putting words in their mouths.
00:37:03.280I'm Roger Stone. Thanks for joining us in the Stone Zone. Until tomorrow, God bless you and Godspeed.
00:37:33.280Plus, follow WABC on social, on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X.
00:37:39.060See you next time for a new episode so you never have to wonder.