Proud Boys members call for Pam Bondi's resignation for seeking to dismiss their $100 million lawsuit [View all]

Source: CBS News

September 2, 2025 / 1:41 PM EDT


Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department are facing blowback over their effort to block a lawsuit from members of the far-right Proud Boys, who are seeking financial reimbursement for their criminal cases and imprisonment for offenses stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.

The Proud Boys Jan. 6 rioters, who met in a social media "X spaces" gathering last month, are calling for Bondi's resignation, after the Justice Department filed a motion in federal court in Florida last week, asking a judge to dismiss a civil lawsuit filed by Enrique Tarrio, Zachary Rehl, Domenic Pezzola and other Proud Boys. All the men were imprisoned for their roles in the riot before President Trump pardoned them on the day he was inaugurated for his second term.

The Proud Boys' lawsuit seeks more than $100 million in damages and alleges the men suffered "A parade of horribles: egregious and systemic abuse of the legal system and the United States Constitution to punish and oppress political allies of President Trump, by any and all means necessary, legal, or illegal."

"Through the use of evidence tampering, witness intimidation, violations of attorney-client privilege, and placing spies to report on trial strategy, the government got its fondest wish of imprisoning the J6 Defendants," the lawsuit claims. In a filing on Aug. 25, the Justice Department responded that the Jan. 6 defendants had not yet exhausted administrative remedies before they filed suit and also argued the U.S. enjoys sovereign immunity from such claims.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/proud-boys-call-for-pam-bondi-resignation-lawsuit/