Pam Bondi invokes state secrets privilege and informs Judge Boasberg she will not disclose any more information on Tren de Aragua deportation flights.
In the striking legal declaration, Attorney General Bondi firmly asserted the principle of separation of powers, informing the court that it “lacks competence” to adjudicate matters involving diplomatic relations and national security.
The filing reinforces the position that such issues fall outside the judiciary’s jurisdiction, emphasizing that it is not the court’s role to adjudicate on them. Officials maintain that these decisions lie within the purview of the executive branch, reinforcing the limitations of judicial authority in foreign affairs and national security matters.
“This is a case about the President’s plenary authority.”
Bondi drives home the point:
“Further intrusions on the Executive Branch would present dangerous and wholly unwarranted separation-of-powers harms with respect to diplomatic and national security concerns that the Court lacks competence to address.”