Donald Trump has fired Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, dismissing a loyalist who reshaped the justice department but still failed to please a president fixated on prosecuting political enemies and frustrated with the politically explosive release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
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.”
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.
In a statement, Bondi said she was “thrilled” about “moving to an important private sector role”.
“Leading President Trump’s historic and highly successful efforts to make America safer and more secure has been the honor of a lifetime, and easily the most consequential first year of the Department of Justice in American history,” she posted on social media.
Bondi said in her new job she “will continue fighting for President Trump and this Administration”.
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 defense of Trump’s towering stack of executive orders as they faced legal challenges.
But she will be perhaps best remembered for complying with Trump’s public demand last year that federal prosecutors bring criminal charges against his personal enemies. Within three weeks, federal prosecutors had indicted James Comey, a former FBI director, and Letitia James, the New York attorney general.
Federal prosecutors during Bondi’s tenure also indicted John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, and tried unsuccessfully to convince a grand jury to bring criminal charges against six members of Congress after Trump publicly accused them of “seditious behavior”. The Department of Justice has continued to investigate other Trump foes.
Bondi is also known for her contradictory statements about the Epstein files, which helped drive the push for their release in the name of transparency.
Trump had grown increasingly impatient in recent months with her handling of the Epstein 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, and will be expected to be back in front of lawmakers.
“Pam Bondi and Donald Trump may think her firing gets her out of testifying to the oversight committee,” Robert Garcia, the ranking member of the House oversight committee, said in a statement after her firing. “They are wrong – and we look forward to hearing from her under oath.”
Speaking to NBC, a House oversight committee spokesperson said: “Since Pam Bondi is no longer attorney general, Chairman Comer will speak with Republican members and the Department of Justice about the status of the deposition subpoena and confer on next steps.”
The Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, responded to Bondi’s firing by saying “good riddance” and added in his statement that “the rot at the Department of Justice begins and ends with Donald Trump”.
Blanche, now acting head of the justice department, defended Bondi in a statement on social media. “Pam Bondi led this Department with strength and conviction and I’m grateful for her leadership and friendship,” he said.
“We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe.”
Bondi is the second cabinet secretary, and woman, to be ousted in recent weeks. The president fired homeland security head Kristi Noem on 5 March after a disastrous hearing in the Senate, in which she refused to recant her past statements justifying the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis for what Noem called their part in “domestic terrorism”.
In that hearing, she faced harsh questioning about a $220m ad campaign that she insisted Trump authorized.
Bondi and Noem had articles of impeachment filed against them for “high crimes and misdemeanors” by Democratic members of Congress.
