WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday amid reports of ongoing frustration with her handling of going after his political enemies.
“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,” he said in a Truth Social post, adding that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche would take over as the acting attorney general.
A senior administration official confirmed to FWRD AXIS News that Bondi was fired.
A White House source said Trump was not happy with Bondi and had “executed on his vision” in the way that he wanted. Trump and Bondi spoke on Wednesday, and he informed her that her time as attorney general was coming to an end, according to an administration official.
Bondi said on X that she would be “moving to an important private sector role I am thrilled about, and where I will continue fighting for President Trump and this Administration.”
“I remain eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again,” she added.
“I remain eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again,” she added.
Blanche, who was formerly one of Trump’s personal lawyers, also thanked him on X.
“Pam Bondi led this Department with strength and conviction and I’m grateful for her leadership and friendship,” he said. “Thank you to President Trump for the trust and the opportunity to serve as Acting Attorney General. We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe.”
Bondi had a long-standing association with Trump. During the 2016 Republican National Convention, she participated in the “lock her up” chants directed at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Subsequently, she became a member of Trump’s defense team during his initial impeachment trial.
Trump and Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, have spoken about the attorney general job, according to a Republican source close to Zeldin.
Bondi oversaw several of Trump’s cuts, including cutting off investigations into police departments, reframing the department to focus on the perceived “weaponization” of the Justice Department and voter fraud, though voter fraud is rare.
Some of Trump’s allies also have been frustrated by Bondi’s handling of the DOJ’s Epstein records.
Some of Trump’s allies also have been frustrated by Bondi’s handling of the DOJ’s Epstein records.
In an interview with Vanity Fair published in December, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said Bondi had “completely whiffed” on her handling of the files, including giving out binders labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” to a group of conservative social media influencers last year.
The Justice Department and FBI then released a joint unsigned memo in July declaring that they’d conducted an “exhaustive” review of the sprawling case, and that no additional people were expected to be charged and no other information about it would be released publicly.
