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Ultimately, the exchange wasn’t simply a political misstep. It was emblematic of a broader tension between governance and perception, between institutional authority and public trust. It underscored a central reality of modern American politics: credibility is fragile, trust is hard-won, and attempts to assert legitimacy in the face of accumulated skepticism can easily backfire. Harris’s argument, instead of inspiring confidence, reminded millions of Americans of all the reasons they already questioned the impartiality of the Department of Justice. The laughter, once a momentary reaction in a studio or debate hall, echoed far beyond that room—it resonated as disbelief, as a collective questioning of whether the DOJ’s independence is a fact, a promise, or simply a carefully maintained illusion.
