Pam Bondi
Trump's Attorney General who dismantled KleptoCapture, the unit sanctioning Russian oligarchs, in February 2026.
Last refreshed: 30 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Is dismantling KleptoCapture a signal that Washington is easing sanctions pressure on Russia?
Latest on Pam Bondi
- Who is Pam Bondi?
- Pam Bondi is the US Attorney General in Donald Trump's second term, confirmed in January 2025. She previously served as Florida Attorney General from 2011 to 2019 and was a member of Trump's first impeachment defence team.
- Why did Pam Bondi disband Task Force KleptoCapture?
- Bondi disbanded Task Force KleptoCapture on 5 February 2026 without providing a detailed public rationale. The unit had seized Russian oligarch assets and prosecuted sanctions evasion. Its closure coincided with a Treasury compliance hiring freeze and preceded Treasury waivers on 124 million barrels of Russian oil.Source: Lowdown
- What did Pam Bondi do as Florida Attorney General?
- As Florida AG from 2011 to 2019, Bondi pursued consumer protection cases and joined multi-state litigation. She became controversial after her office dropped a fraud investigation into Trump University shortly after the Trump Foundation donated to her re-election campaign.
- How does Bondi's DOJ approach to Russia sanctions compare to Garland's?
- Under Merrick Garland, the DOJ actively ran Task Force KleptoCapture, seizing Russian assets and prosecuting sanctions evasion. Bondi dismantled the task force within her first year, representing a sharp reversal in the DOJ's role as a sanctions enforcement arm.Source: Lowdown
- What happened to Russian oligarch assets after KleptoCapture was disbanded?
- After KleptoCapture was disbanded in February 2026, enforcement capacity fell as Treasury compliance hiring was frozen simultaneously. The Treasury then issued waivers on 12 March 2026 allowing 124 million barrels of Russian oil to reach markets, weakening the sanctions regime further.Source: Lowdown
Background
Pamela Jo Bondi served as Florida Attorney General from 2011 to 2019, becoming the first woman elected to that office in the state. A loyal ally of Donald Trump, she was confirmed as US Attorney General in January 2025 at the start of his second term, succeeding Merrick Garland. She previously served on Trump's first impeachment defence team.
On 5 February 2026, Bondi disbanded Task Force KleptoCapture, the Department of Justice unit that had seized Russian oligarch assets and prosecuted sanctions evasion since 2022 . The closure coincided with a freeze on US Treasury compliance hiring. Within weeks, Treasury issued waivers permitting 124 million barrels of Russian oil to reach markets on 12 March.
Bondi's dismantling of the sanctions architecture raises pointed questions about whether the administration is withdrawing economic pressure on Moscow as diplomatic overtures to Russia intensify. Critics argue that shutting KleptoCapture and freezing compliance staff removes deterrence at precisely the moment it would carry most leverage in any peace negotiation.
