Attorney General Pam Bondi broke the law this week, one legal expert said Friday.
Bondi appeared on a panel discussion with President Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem this week, where she admitted the existence of a grand jury, which is unlawful.
"We're not going to comment on any grand jury that's open. We can't legally," said Bondi.
The law, according to one expert, isn't that Bondi can't comment on the grand jury; she also can't acknowledge that a grand jury exists.
Comments like this hurt the prosecution of individuals, in this case, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), in two ways, legal expert Lisa Rubin said.
"One: every time the president opens his mouth about Adam Schiff or anybody else who's under investigation or under indictment, that lends itself — it fuels right into a vindictive prosecution motion, because it shows animus toward that particular person," Rubin said. "And in Adam Schiff's case, the statements by the president about Schiff are legion."
Her second problem is about Bondi.
"The second way that it hurts is what Pam Bondi said. She was trying to be circumspect. But what she said—the words matter. 'I'm not going to comment on any open grand jury.' Okay, she's not supposed to even confirm the existence of a grand jury investigation," Rubin said, citing a federal rule.
It "governs the disclosure of not only grand jury materials but also grand jury information. And it appears that in that instance, even though Pam Bondi was trying to be careful, she may have run afoul of the federal rules about grand jury information," Rubin closed.