AG Bondi Vows to Prosecute ICE Raid Leakers; VA Sec Collins Defends Veterans Benefits; 70% Say Trump Delivering

In a series of appearances in February 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi warned that the DOJ would prosecute whoever was leaking information about ICE enforcement operations, whether the leaks came from within the FBI or elsewhere in the government. VA Secretary Doug Collins pushed back against media reports claiming veterans’ benefits were being cut, calling the stories fabricated and insisting DOGE was helping improve services. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt then cited a CBS News poll showing that 70% of Americans said President Trump was following through on his campaign promises.

Bondi: “We Will Find You. You Will Be Prosecuted”

Attorney General Bondi addressed the ICE leak scandal directly after a reporter asked whether the DOJ had made progress identifying the source. Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, had suggested earlier in the week that someone within the FBI might be leaking information about planned ICE raids, potentially putting officers’ lives at risk.

Bondi confirmed that an investigation was underway but declined to discuss specifics. “I can’t talk about anything that is ongoing, and that is ongoing,” she said. “And it’s really for the similar reasons of what I said earlier.”

She then delivered an emotional defense of the law enforcement personnel who were being endangered by the leaks. “The great men and women in law enforcement standing behind me today — they deserve, they must be protected,” Bondi said. “And anytime anyone leaks or tips off anything regarding a pending investigation, that jeopardizes lives. You’re telling a bad guy what’s about to happen. It could jeopardize the lives of all the men and women in law enforcement.”

Bondi’s warning escalated into a direct threat to the leakers. “We will not stand for it. We will find you. We’re going to investigate it,” she said. “No matter what agency it came from, we don’t know for certain. We have an open investigation so I can’t talk about it in detail, but we will do everything in our power to hold you accountable. And it is a crime, and you will be prosecuted when we find you.”

The statement was significant for several reasons. First, it confirmed that the DOJ was actively investigating the leaks as a criminal matter, not merely as an administrative concern. Second, by specifying that the investigation was looking across agencies — “no matter what agency it came from” — Bondi signaled that the probe was not limited to the FBI. Third, the personal intensity of the warning — “we will find you” — was a departure from the more measured language typically used by attorneys general when discussing ongoing investigations.

The ICE leak issue had become a flashpoint in the early weeks of the second Trump term. Immigration enforcement operations depend on the element of surprise; advance warning allows targeted individuals to flee before agents arrive. If the leaks were indeed coming from within federal law enforcement, it represented not just a security breach but a form of active sabotage by government employees against the president’s signature domestic policy.

VA Secretary Collins: “Veterans Benefits Aren’t Getting Cut”

VA Secretary Doug Collins appeared next, delivering an energetic rebuttal to media reports that he said were fabricating concerns about cuts to veterans’ benefits.

“I’ve been here about a week, and you know the one thing that hasn’t changed about DC?” Collins said. “It’s the media up here that like to tell you stuff that they want you to believe.”

Collins described the media cycle he had observed. “They take a possibility and then they run with a story because they want you to believe it, because they got to write something,” he said. “And they frankly don’t know what to write because right now President Trump is making progress and this administration is doing what it said — making promises and keeping them.”

He then addressed the specific claim that was circulating. “There’s one that’s going around the media right now about veterans’ benefits being cut,” Collins said. “I’m Secretary of VA. I’m going to tell you right now, that’s not happening.”

Collins drew a distinction between media speculation and operational reality. “They can do hypotheticals all they want. I’m telling you about reality. Reality is veterans’ benefits aren’t getting cut,” he said. “In fact, we’re actually giving and improving services in our Veterans Benefits Administration. They’re actually clearing cases quicker. We’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing.”

The Secretary also addressed concerns about DOGE’s presence at the VA, which some media outlets had framed as a threat to veterans’ personal data. “There’s also this room right there that DOGE is in — there’s this infamous thing that’s going to take personal information and do that,” Collins said. “I’m telling you what, we’ve got DOGE representatives here that are doing what they’re supposed to be doing, and that is looking at our contracts, making sure that we have the best-run facility for efficiency to make sure the veteran gets the care they need.”

Rather than viewing DOGE as an adversary, Collins portrayed the partnership as beneficial. “I’m happy to partner with them to find things that we need to get rid of so that we can put the money where it belongs,” he said. “You know what that is — back with our veteran.”

Collins closed with advice directed at the public: “If you want the real truth, come to see me.” The message was that the VA secretary himself, not media reports based on anonymous sources and speculation, was the authoritative voice on veterans’ benefits under the Trump administration.

Leavitt: 70% Say Trump Is Delivering on Promises

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt brought the day’s messaging full circle by citing polling data that supported the administration’s narrative of a productive and popular first month.

“This week, the president has continued to deliver on his promises to the American people,” Leavitt said. “According to new polling that was released at the beginning of this week by CBS News, an overwhelming 70% of Americans said that President Trump is following through on what he pledged to do during his historic campaign.”

The 70% figure was notable because it significantly exceeded Trump’s vote share in the 2024 election. If accurate, it meant that a substantial number of Americans who had not voted for Trump nonetheless acknowledged that he was doing what he said he would do. The gap between approval of Trump’s follow-through and his electoral support suggested that even some of his opponents recognized his effectiveness in implementing his agenda.

Leavitt expanded on the poll’s findings. “The poll also revealed that Americans see President Trump as a tough, energetic, focused, and effective leader fighting hard to improve their lives and our country,” she said.

The adjectives — tough, energetic, focused, effective — were a direct counter to the narrative that had defined the end of the Biden era, when the outgoing president was described in terms of age, fatigue, and diminished capacity. By emphasizing that voters perceived Trump in the opposite terms, Leavitt was reinforcing the contrast between the two administrations that the White House considered one of its strongest political assets.

The Through Line: Action Over Narrative

The three segments — Bondi on leakers, Collins on veterans, Leavitt on polling — shared a common theme: the administration was focused on action and results, while its opponents relied on leaks, media narratives, and speculation to undermine progress.

Bondi was hunting the people sabotaging enforcement operations. Collins was personally rebutting media fabrications about veterans’ benefits. And Leavitt was citing polling data showing the public recognized the administration’s effectiveness. Together, the appearances projected an administration that was simultaneously delivering on its promises, defending its record against misinformation, and holding its opponents accountable.

Key Takeaways

• AG Pam Bondi warned ICE raid leakers: “We will find you. We’re going to investigate it… it is a crime and you will be prosecuted when we find you,” confirming an active DOJ criminal investigation.
• VA Secretary Doug Collins rebutted media reports about veterans’ benefit cuts as fabricated, saying “I’m Secretary of VA. I’m going to tell you right now, that’s not happening.”
• Collins defended DOGE’s presence at the VA, saying representatives were reviewing contracts to improve efficiency and “put the money where it belongs — back with our veteran.”
• Leavitt cited a CBS News poll showing 70% of Americans said Trump was following through on his campaign promises, exceeding his vote share in the 2024 election.
• The poll also showed Americans viewed Trump as “tough, energetic, focused, and effective,” a direct contrast to the perception of Biden in his final months.