Pam Bondi introduces Schrödinger’s resignation

Authoritarian systems don’t just punish dissent. They punish the attempt to leave.

In a recent interview, Trump stooge Pam Bondi made an odd clarification about how employment works in Trumpworld: when government lawyers resign, she fires them. Instead of letting them collect their vacation, they’ll get unemployment.

Bondi framed the wave of resignations from DOJ lawyers as proof they were “joining The Resistance,” a phrase that does a lot of accidental work for her. You don’t usually accuse people of joining a resistance unless you understand, on some level, that you’re running the Empire.

So here we are. You can’t quit, because quitting is disloyal. You can’t stay, because staying without total obedience is also disloyal. The resignation both exists and doesn’t exist until Bondi observes it, at which point it collapses into punishment.

Authoritarian systems don’t just punish dissent. They punish the attempt to leave.