Donald Trump has removed Attorney General Pam Bondi from her position, according to a White House official, marking a major shift inside the Justice Department at a time when scrutiny was already building.
In a Truth Social statement, Trump wrote: “Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year.” He continued, “Pam did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown in Crime across our Country, with Murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900.”
Trump also made it clear that Bondi’s next move will be outside government, stating she will transition into the private sector. At the same time, he announced that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will step in as acting Attorney General.
Behind the scenes, the situation carried more tension than the public message suggested. Bondi faced ongoing criticism over the DOJ’s release of Epstein-related files, which drew backlash from lawmakers after heavily redacted documents left key details unclear. That issue stayed front and center while Congress pushed for fuller transparency.
Reports also indicate Trump had grown frustrated with Bondi’s approach to prosecuting political opponents, which added pressure inside an already divided department. Combined with internal shakeups, including the removal of career prosecutors, the environment around Bondi became increasingly difficult to stabilize.
Bondi defended her record, saying the department worked quickly to process large volumes of material. However, the criticism never fully eased, and now the DOJ moves forward under new leadership, at least for the moment.
