President Trump has fired Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Mr. Trump met with Ms. Bondi in the Oval Office on Wednesday before his remarks to the nation on the war in Iran, where she was informed of her ouster, according to sources.
In the meantime, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is being considered for Ms. Bondi’s role temporarily.
Mr. Trump previously floated the idea of replacing Ms. Bondi with Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Ms. Bondi had disappointed Mr. Trump with her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the multiple failed attempts from her office to prosecute political opponents of the president.
Still, Mr. Trump praised Ms. Bondi as he removed her from the job.
“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,” Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“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, and our Deputy Attorney General, and a very talented and respected Legal Mind, Todd Blanche, will step in to serve as Acting Attorney General.”
Although Mr. Trump had kind words publicly for Ms. Bondi, her handling of the Epstein document release became a political burden for the president.
The Justice Department also could not nail down criminal convictions of Mr. Trump’s biggest political opponents, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
Ms. Bondi still must face the House Oversight Committee, which subpoenaed her last month to testify about the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files.
Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, Kentucky Republican who voted against the subpoena measure, has said he does not think Ms. Bondi should sit for the deposition on April 14.
Ms. Bondi, who previously served as attorney general of Florida, was Mr. Trump’s second choice to be his Attorney General after former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida withdrew from consideration in November 2024. There was a lack of Senate GOP support for Mr. Gaetz amid a House Ethics Committee investigation into sexual misconduct allegations.
Ms. Bondi is the second Cabinet member to be pushed out during Mr. Trump’s second term. Kristi Noem was recently ousted as secretary of Homeland Security on March 5 following bipartisan criticism of her leadership. Mr. Trump named Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma as her successor.
