This was supposed to be a straightforward question-and-answer session, but it quickly turned into something much more tense and confusing.
Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon tried to ask U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi about potential foreign influence in American politics. Specifically, he was concerned about whether money from other countries might be affecting U.S. decisions through connections to Trump’s new cryptocurrency, known as \$TRUMPCoin. Instead of answering, Bondi dodged the question and got defensive.
When Merkley asked if she would support appointing an independent investigator to look into millions of dollars possibly coming from foreign individuals to the Trump White House—especially after a \$148 million crypto fundraising event—Bondi refused to give a clear answer. Instead, she attacked Merkley personally, bringing up crime in his home state and accusing him of trying to score political points.
The event in question was held at Trump’s golf course in Virginia and included about 220 high-profile guests, such as crypto executives, celebrities, and wealthy business people. One attendee, Javier Selgas from Mexico, publicly admitted he bought \$2 million worth of \$TRUMPCoin and planned to buy \$20 million more. He also admitted he hoped this would help him push for changes in U.S. freight policy that would benefit his company. The White House never released the full guest list; it only came to light after journalists investigated.
Merkley pushed back, saying the American people deserve to know if the president is mixing business with politics and letting foreign money influence policy. Bondi again dodged the question and accused Merkley of insulting Trump, who she claimed was the only president serious about border security. She then went off-topic again, attacking crime levels in Oregon—even though statistics show that violent crime like murder and rape have actually gone down in that state recently.
Merkley again asked if Bondi would suggest any new ethics rules to keep foreign influence out of the White House. Bondi didn’t respond directly. Instead, she ranted about immigration and crime, suggesting that the real problem was undocumented immigrants and drugs, not foreign money influencing U.S. leaders.
In truth, crime has been going down across much of the U.S. for some time, based on official reports.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department—which Bondi now oversees—is facing budget cuts. The proposed budget for 2026 is \$33.6 billion, down by \$2.5 billion from the previous year. Nearly 5,000 jobs have already been eliminated, including prosecutors and federal marshals. An additional 1,500 job cuts are on the way. These cuts have hit the Public Integrity Section hard. This division is supposed to investigate corruption in government, but it has shrunk from 30 lawyers down to just five in the past few months.
Bondi also refused to directly answer questions about another Trump family-linked cryptocurrency called USD1. It’s a stablecoin—meaning its value is tied to the U.S. dollar—and it was launched by a company co-owned by Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric. Reports show Trump made almost \$60 million from USD1 just last year.
Senator Merkley brought up a troubling timeline. He pointed out that the United Arab Emirates recently bought \$2 billion worth of Trump’s coin. Not long after, restrictions on AI chip exports to that country were lifted—rules that had been put in place under President Biden for national security reasons. Merkley asked if this series of events raised any red flags.
Bondi once again sidestepped the issue. Instead of addressing the question, she changed the subject to a drug bust in Oregon involving a Mexican citizen—without noting that the arrest happened in 2021, during the Biden administration.
In short, Merkley asked about serious questions involving ethics, money, and foreign influence. Bondi refused to engage meaningfully and instead responded with political attacks and distractions.
