US President Donald Trump removed Attorney General Pam Bondi from her post on Thursday, a White House official said, following frustration with her performance, including her handling of investigative files related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump was also reportedly frustrated that Bondi did not move quickly enough to prosecute critics and opponents he wanted to face criminal charges.
In a social media post, Trump praised Bondi as a “Great American Patriot and loyal friend” and said he would move to work in the private sector. Trump said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, his former personal attorney, will lead the Justice Department on an interim basis.
During his tenure as America’s top law enforcement official, Bondi was a staunch champion of Trump’s agenda and broke with the Justice Department’s long-standing tradition of independence from the White House in its investigations.
But it was the constant criticism of Epstein’s files, by Trump allies and some Republican lawmakers, that came to dominate his tenure.
Bondi was accused of concealing or mismanaging the release of records from the DOJ’s sex-trafficking investigation into Epstein, a financier who cultivated ties to an array of the rich and powerful.
