President Donald Trump was caught off guard Thursday after asking Attorney General Pam Bondi to speak about a reported grand jury investigation into California Sen. Adam Schiff (D).
Bondi immediately told him she couldn’t legally discuss it.
The exchange happened at the White House as Trump took questions from reporters. One journalist asked about a report that a federal grand jury was investigating Schiff for mortgage fraud.
“There’s a report as a grand jury on Adam Schiff for apparent mortgage fraud,” the reporter said.
“Wow,” Trump replied, appearing surprised by the question.
The reporter followed up by asking whether Schiff should step down if he were indicted. Trump said he didn’t know the details but didn’t hold back on his opinion of Schiff.
“Well, you know, I’m not gonna comment on that. I will just say, Adam Schiff is one of the lowest forms of scum I’ve ever dealt with in politics,” Trump said. “He’s a horrible human being, a very dishonest person. I have no idea what’s going on. You’re telling me he’s gonna be indicted. I don’t know.”
Trump then turned to Bondi and asked if she wanted to speak about the matter, according to Mediaite.
“Do you wanna talk about that?” he said.
Bondi responded firmly. “We’re not going to comment on any grand jury that’s open. We can’t, legally.”
Trump nodded and added, “I don’t know. By the way, I hope it’s true, but I don’t know anything about it.” Some reporters in the room laughed as Trump moved on to the next question.
The exchange came amid heightened speculation over reports that the Department of Justice was investigating both Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James. NBC News reported in August that separate grand juries were examining potential mortgage fraud by both Democrats.
Two weeks ago, James was indicted in connection with one of those probes. Schiff has not been charged, and the Department of Justice has not commented publicly.
Earlier Thursday, MSNBC reported that the U.S. Attorney in Maryland told DOJ officials she did not believe there was sufficient evidence to prosecute Schiff.
The White House has not issued any formal statement about the report, and Trump’s remarks appeared to show he had not been briefed on the latest developments.
Bondi’s response reflected standard legal procedure, as Justice Department officials are barred from commenting on open grand jury proceedings.
Trump has long accused Schiff of corruption and dishonesty, frequently calling him “crooked” and “a disgrace.” Thursday’s exchange showed that the president’s personal view of Schiff hasn’t changed, even as Bondi maintained strict legal discipline.
The moment quickly circulated on social media, with supporters applauding Bondi’s professionalism and critics mocking Trump’s reaction.
Trump ended the exchange by saying, “We’ll see what happens,” before turning to another reporter.
