Donald Trump has fired Pam Bondi from her role as attorney general, marking the removal of a close ally despite her efforts to reshape the Justice Department. Reports indicated that the decision came amid the president’s dissatisfaction over issues such as the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and his continued focus on pursuing political adversaries.
Trump wrote in a post 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.”
Responding to her dismissal, Bondi said she was pleased about moving into a new private-sector position and described her tenure as a major professional milestone.
She stated that leading Trump’s efforts to strengthen national security had been a defining experience and indicated that she would continue to support the administration in her next role, The Guardian reported.
During her 14 months in office, Bondi reportedly oversaw a significant overhaul of the Justice Department, including removing career officials, shifting priorities toward immigration-related cases, and defending several executive orders issued by Trump.
However, she also faced criticism for acting on Trump’s public calls to prosecute his political opponents, with federal prosecutors bringing charges against figures such as James Comey, a former FBI director, and Letitia James, the New York attorney general.
Cases were also pursued against John Bolton, while attempts to indict several members of Congress reportedly did not succeed.
Bondi’s tenure was further marked by controversy over her handling of the Epstein-related documents, which remained a politically sensitive issue for the administration.
Reports suggested that Trump had grown increasingly frustrated with how the matter was managed. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers indicated that she could still be required to respond to a congressional subpoena related to the issue.
Donald Trump stated that deputy attorney general Todd Blanche would take over as acting attorney general, while Lee Zeldin, who currently heads the Environmental Protection Agency, is being considered as a leading candidate to replace Pam Bondi.
Acting attorney general Blanche publicly praised Bondi’s leadership, expressing appreciation for her tenure.
Her departure follows the recent removal of homeland security head Kristi Noem, making her the second cabinet-level official to be ousted in a short span. Both Bondi and Noem had also faced impeachment articles from Democratic lawmakers over alleged misconduct.