Attorney General Pam Bondi warned Wednesday that the federal government may ramp up its crackdown in Los Angeles if unrest continues. Speaking to reporters, Bondi said current efforts are working but made it clear they’re ready to push harder.
“We’re not scared to go further. We’re not frightened to do something else if we need to,” Bondi said.
Bondi pointed to the deployment of the National Guard and Marines in California as proof that the Trump administration is taking action.
“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. “Right now, in California, what we’re doing is working.”
Asked about whether President Trump would invoke the Insurrection Act—a move that would allow military forces to act like police on U.S. soil—Bondi didn’t rule it out.
“Right now, in California, we’re at a good point,” she said. “We’re not scared to go further. We’re not frightened to do something else if we need to.”
Trump has sent thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles to support federal agents. While the military normally can’t be used for law enforcement at home, the Insurrection Act could change that. Trump hasn’t used it yet, but he’s not saying no either.
Bondi also backed the city’s decision to impose a curfew in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday night. “Right now, we’re hoping it’s going to get under control,” she said. “We hope the curfew will work, and we’re going to continue to do everything we can to keep California safe if the government of California is not going to help them.”
But the tone shifted when Bondi was confronted with a question about Trump’s recent pardons of January 6 rioters who assaulted police officers—actions that critics say clash with the administration’s claim to support law enforcement.
A reporter asked: “The administration has talked a lot about defending law enforcement over the last protests that are going on, but you would criticize driving a double standard with the president pardoning all these people who attacked police officers on January 6 in his first day in office. How do we answer that criticism?”
Bondi sidestepped. “Well, this is very different,” she said. “These are people out there hurting people in California right now. This is ongoing. We’re going to protect them. We’re going to do everything we can to prosecute violent criminals in California. California is burning these people are waiving Mexican flags, yet they don’t want anyone to go back to Mexico, they’re burning American flags, this is the United States of America, and we’re going to protect Americans, we’re going to protect all citizens.”
Then, she walked away without addressing the question directly.
President Trump has echoed her hardline stance, using his Truth Social account to blast California Governor Gavin Newsom and defend the troop deployment.
“If our troops didn’t go into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now, just like so much of their housing burned to the ground,” Trump wrote. “The great people of Los Angeles are very lucky that I made the decision to go in and help!!!”
Newsom fired back in a video message Tuesday night, calling the administration’s response a “brazen abuse of power.”
Watch Bondi’s remarks in the video below:
