Donald Trump has fired Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, dismissing a loyalist who reshaped the justice department but failed to satisfy a president fixated on prosecuting political enemies and frustrated with the politically explosive release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year. Pam did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown in Crime across our Country, with Murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900. We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future.”
The president added that Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, would serve as acting attorney general. Lee Zeldin, a former New York congressman who now leads the Environmental Protection Agency, is said to be a top contender to replace Bondi.
During her 14 months as attorney general, Bondi presided over a major purging of career justice department staff, shifted focus away from criminal prosecutions toward immigration cases, and spearheaded the defence of Trump’s executive orders. She complied with Trump’s demand to bring charges against his personal enemies, leading to indictments of James Comey, Letitia James, and John Bolton. She also tried to convince a grand jury to charge six members of Congress.
Bondi is also known for her contradictory statements about the Epstein files, which helped drive the push for their release. Trump had grown increasingly impatient with her handling of the documents, which have become a continuing liability to the White House. Democrats say Bondi cannot escape a congressional subpoena scheduled for later this month over her handling of the files.
Bondi is the second cabinet secretary to be ousted in recent weeks, following the firing of homeland security head Kristi Noem on 5 March.
