United States President Donald Trump has announced that Pam Bondi is out as attorney general, in his second major cabinet-level shake-up in less than a month.
Trump confirmed the decision in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, after a slate of media reports suggested he was considering removing Bondi from the top law enforcement role, citing his dicontent over Bondi’s handling of investigative files related to financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will temporarily replace Bondi in an interim capacity, he said.
“Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year,” Trump wrote.
The US president also praised Bondi for leading the Department of Justice during a period when violent crime decreased in the US, part of a wider downward trend in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump did not mention his reasoning for the decision, instead writing, “We love Pam.” He added that she would be “transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector”.
Bondi’s dismissal comes shortly after Trump abruptly fired Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversaw the agency amid a mass-deportation campaign that led to the killing of two US citizens.
US media has reported Trump was considering nominating Lee Zeldin, the current Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, for the role.
Trump has not confirmed the plan. Any nomination would require Senate confirmation.
Questions over ‘politicalistation’
Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, had been a longtime supporter of Trump and closely aligned with the president’s agenda as the country’s top law enforcement official.
That led to concerns over the independence of the Department of Justice, particularly as top prosecutors under Bondi’s command announced investigations and criminal charges against Trump’s political opponents.
In one case, last September, Trump addressed a social media post directly to Bondi, appearing to call on her to take action against three critics: Senator Adam Schiff, New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI director James Comey.
“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” Trump wrote in the post to Bondi. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
Indictments against James and Comey were delivered in the subsequent weeks, although separate grand juries later moved not to indict the pair.
Critics and legal groups, including the American Bar Association, have warned that such actions have chipped away at the Justice Department’s tradition of independence, leading to politically motivated prosecutions.
More recent investigations into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and the Democratic Governor of Minnesota, as well as pressure campaign against state election officials ahead of the midterm vote in November,
In a lawsuit filed in March, two former FBI agents accused Bondi of “political retribution”, saying they were fired for their role in previously investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Handling of Epstein files
Bondi has also come under fire for her handling of the Epstein files, the contents of which have roiled governments and institutions across the world.
Shortly after being confirmed by the Senate, Bondi repeatedly vowed to review all documents related to Epstein, including a so-called “client list” of the powerful figures in his social circle. She told Fox News in February 2025 that the list was “sitting on my desk right now to review”.
She further pledged to release a tranche of previously withheld documents.
However, the tone of Bondi, and several other top officials in the agency, changed dramatically in the following months, culminating in an unsigned department memo released in July that said investigators found “no incriminating ‘client list’” as well as no credible evidence “that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals”.
It also said investigators found no evidence “that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties”.
Trump, a former friend of Epstein’s who repeatedly appeared in the files, also urged reporters to drop the matter. Nevertheless, the president eventually signed a bill passed by Congress compelling the Department of Justice to release all the related files.
Under Bondi, the Department of Justice has since released millions of files, but lawmakers have charged the documents still appear incomplete.
A combative hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in February, in which Bondi lodged personal attacks at lawmakers and regularly sought to pivot to the economy, was seen as further damaging her public standing.
In one instance, Bondi refused to look Epstein victims in the eye.
Responding to Bondi’s firing, several Democrats said she was still subject to a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee, which continues to investigate Epstein.
“Pam Bondi may be fired, but she still must be held accountable,” wrote representative Shontel Brown on X.
“She remains legally obligated to adhere to our subpoena and appear before the Oversight Committee,” she wrote.
