Trump fires AG Bondi amid Epstein frustration, failed prosecutions of political foes

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.

Democrats cheered Ms. Bondi’s exit and say that they will continue to go after the White House over the Epstein files despite her absence.

“Good riddance. Pam Bondi was the wrong choice from the start. But the rot at the Department of Justice begins and ends with Donald Trump,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Shumer of New York. “As long as his focus is on using DOJ as a tool for revenge and not law enforcement, the cover up of the Epstein files, along with the countless other problems at DOJ, will continue.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said that Ms. Bondi’s “tenure as the most corrupt Attorney General in modern American history has been a disgraceful affront to our Constitution.”

“The so-called Attorney General and the pathetic, sycophantic political hacks installed with her have repeatedly weaponized the Department of Justice and taxpayer dollars to target political opponents of Donald Trump, trample the rights of law-abiding Americans and silence and attempt to intimidate those who disagree with this administration. Pam Bondi has lied to Congress and to the American people,” Mr. Jeffries said.

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 the Department of Homeland Security on March 5 following bipartisan criticism of her leadership. Mr. Trump named Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma as her successor.

Mr. Trump has had a contentious history with his attorneys general. During his first term, he fired his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, in 2018 after Mr. Sessions recused himself in 2017 from the Russia investigation into his presidency.

Mr. Trump’s relationship with Attorney General William Barr, his second in the post in his first term, deteriorated when the two disagreed over whether there was election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Mr. Barr resigned in December 2020.