President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Attorney General Pam Bondi will be leaving her post.
On Truth Social, Trump praised Bondi as “a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year,” and credited her with overseeing “a massive crackdown in Crime across our Country.” He added that Bondi “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.”
Trump said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as interim attorney general. Blanche, the president noted, was among his personal lawyers and defended him in several criminal cases before being elevated to his current role.
Why was Bondi removed?
Bondi’s departure follows mounting criticism in Washington over her handling of investigative files connected to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Reports also suggested the president grew frustrated with what he saw as a lack of action against critics and political adversaries; the Justice Department under Bondi failed to secure prosecutions of several figures Trump viewed as foes, including former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Before joining the White House, Bondi spent 18 years as a prosecutor and was elected Florida’s attorney general in 2010, becoming the first woman to hold that office. A vocal Trump supporter, she served on his legal team during his first impeachment trial and later promoted his unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud after the 2020 election.
Democrats welcome the move
Bondi’s sacking comes shortly after the removal of Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security nearly a month ago. Congressional Democrats applauded Bondi’s exit and criticized her record at the Justice Department.
“Under Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Department of Justice became a cesspool of corruption,” Senator Elizabeth Warren said, adding that Bondi will be remembered for blocking release of the Epstein files and for “weaponizing the DOJ to go after Trump’s political opponents.” Senator Mark Warner said Bondi had denied Epstein victims transparency and “further undermined trust in our justice system,” arguing Americans deserve a Justice Department focused on delivering justice rather than serving a president’s personal and political interests.
Bondi still faces a subpoena to appear before the House Oversight Committee on April 14 as part of its inquiry into how the Department of Justice handled the release of the Epstein files. Committee chair Republican James Comer said he and his colleagues would decide whether to enforce the subpoena. Democrats urged the panel to act; Representative Robert Garcia said Bondi “will not escape accountability and remains legally obligated to appear before our Committee under oath.”
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah