In Putin’s Pocket: Pam Bondi’s First Move as Attorney General Was to Kill America’s Russian Money-Laundering Task Force
A Radical Break on Day One
Pam Bondi had barely warmed her new chair as U.S. Attorney General when she made a stunning announcement: the Department of Justice’s Task Force KleptoCapture, the unit created to hunt down Russian oligarch wealth, was finished.
This was no slow review, no gradual shift in priorities. On her very first full day in office in February 2025, Bondi issued a directive disbanding the DOJ’s premier anti-kleptocracy initiative. Prosecutors and investigators who had spent years unraveling the financial webs of Putin’s inner circle were told to pack up and return to their old posts.
The official line? Resources needed to be “redirected” to fighting drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations. But to critics, the message was clear: the new Attorney General’s top priority was not protecting Americans from cartels, but protecting Vladimir Putin’s cronies from American law enforcement.
What Was at Stake: Task Force KleptoCapture
Launched in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Task Force KleptoCapture was a rare example of U.S. resolve against foreign kleptocracy. Its mission:
Seize yachts, planes, and real estate linked to sanctioned Russian billionaires.
Prosecute shell companies and enablers helping oligarchs launder their cash through Western banks.
Target Kremlin-linked influence networks that undermined U.S. democracy.
In just three years, the unit had chalked up indictments against oligarchs like Oleg Deripaska, seized superyachts tied to Suleiman Kerimov and Viktor Vekselberg, and frozen hundreds of millions in offshore accounts. It was a direct hit to Putin’s power structure, one of the few ways the U.S. was striking at his regime without firing a shot.
Bondi killed it in less than 24 hours.
Who Benefited? Putin and His Oligarchs
By tearing down the only centralized enforcement mechanism against Russian money laundering, Bondi handed Putin and his allies an extraordinary gift.
Active prosecutions stalled. Cases against Russian billionaires are now dispersed among district offices without the coordination of a task force.
Sanctions enforcement weakened. Without a specialized team, oligarchs have far more room to hide wealth in complex offshore networks.
Symbolic victory for Moscow. The Kremlin has long railed against Western sanctions as illegitimate. Bondi’s move validated that narrative by making oligarch enforcement a U.S. afterthought.
“Her first act wasn’t about cartels or crime at the border,” said one anti-corruption expert. “It was about dismantling America’s strongest line of attack on Putin’s wallet.”
Not Just KleptoCapture: A Broader Retreat
Bondi didn’t stop at Russian oligarchs. She also shut down or froze parts of the DOJ’s Foreign Influence Task Force, which investigated foreign money in U.S. politics. By gutting both units, Bondi effectively blunted Washington’s ability to police the very networks where oligarch money intersects with American influence. Prosecutors were reassigned, but not to other corruption cases. Instead, they were rerouted to cartel and organized crime investigations, important work, but far less politically sensitive than tracing Russian billions through Manhattan real estate or Cayman Islands banks.
A Pattern, Not a Coincidence
Critics argue this is not just reprioritization. It’s alignment. Donald Trump has long resisted scrutiny of his ties to Russia and repeatedly downplayed Kremlin aggression. Pam Bondi, one of Trump’s most loyal political operatives, has now given Putin’s financial empire a lifeline by dismantling its chief American adversary. The timing could not be more telling. Her first priority wasn’t public safety, wasn’t fentanyl, wasn’t organized crime. It was killing the unit that threatened Putin.
The Bottom Line
Pam Bondi’s decision to shut down Task Force KleptoCapture is more than a bureaucratic reshuffle. It’s a political earthquake that sends one unmistakable signal: the Attorney General of the United States put Vladimir Putin’s interests ahead of America’s on day one.
In Putin’s pocket? The evidence speaks for itself.
Sources
- Reuters – Trump administration disbands task force targeting Russian oligarchs
- AP News – Trump DOJ ends Biden-era task force aimed at seizing assets of Russian oligarchs
- The Guardian – Trump DOJ corruption pause benefits kleptocrats, experts warn
- RFE/RL – DOJ disbands KleptoCapture, critics warn Putin benefits
