United States President Donald Trump has fired Attorney General Pam Bondi after months of mounting frustration with her performance.
She has been replaced on an interim basis with Todd Blanche — his former personal lawyer who defended him in the multiple criminal cases he faced after he left the White House in 2021.
Trump announced the move on Truth Social, praising Bondi as a "Great American Patriot" and a "loyal friend" who had done a "tremendous job" cracking down on crime.
"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.
Bondi, in a post on X, said serving as attorney general had been "the honor of a lifetime" and said she will "continue fighting for President Trump" in her unspecified new private sector job.
Who is Pam Bondi?
Bondi spent 18 years as a prosecutor before becoming Florida's attorney general in 2010 — the first woman to hold the post — and was re-elected to a second term in 2014.
Bondi is a Trump loyalist: she became a close ally during his first term, joining his legal team during his first impeachment trial and later helped push his claims of voter fraud following his loss at the 2020 election, making television appearances and pressing to delegitimise vote counting in key battleground states.
She was appointed attorney general of the United States in February 2025 during Trump's second term, and served for 14 months.
During her tenure as the top US law enforcement official, Bondi was a combative champion of Trump’s agenda and dismantled the Justice Department’s longstanding tradition of independence from the White House in its investigations.
Under her watch, DOJ has pursued a slew of investigations against Trump antagonists, including bringing criminal charges last year against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The cases encountered obstacles in court and were thrown out by a judge who found the Trump-nominated prosecutor who brought them had been unlawfully appointed.
Bondi also oversaw a mass departure of career lawyers from crucial DOJ units who worked on investigations that Trump opposed, with critics accusing her of abandoning the department's tradition of even-handed justice.
What do the Epstein files have to do with her firing?
Bondi's handling of Justice Department files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking — came to dominate her tenure.
She was accused of covering up or mismanaging the release of records on the DOJ’s sex-trafficking investigations into Epstein, a financier who cultivated ties to wealthy and powerful figures — including Trump, who said their friendship ended decades ago.
Bondi, early last year, played into fevered speculation about the Epstein files, saying a client list was on her desk for review. But after an initial release included material that was largely already public, the DOJ and FBI declared in July that the case was closed and no further disclosures were warranted.
That prompted an eruption of criticism and eventually a bipartisan law passed in November requiring the Justice Department to release nearly all its files.
The release of roughly three million pages still did not quell the controversy, as lawmakers criticised redactions and the disclosure of some Epstein victims' identities.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Bondi and she was set to testify on April 14.
What's the reaction been?
Democratic lawmakers have welcomed Bondi's firing.
"Good riddance," said Senator Elizabeth Warren, who accused Bondi of turning the Justice Department into a "cesspool of corruption".
"Bondi will be remembered for blocking the release of the Epstein files," Warren said.
Senator Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Bondi's legacy would be the "weaponization of the world's preeminent law enforcement agency for Donald Trump's personal benefit" — while saying that even that hadn't been "far enough to appease him".
Senate minority leader and Democrat, Chuck Schumer, welcomed the decision but took aim at the president: "Good riddance … But the rot at the Department of Justice begins and ends with Donald Trump."
The top House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, said Bondi was the "most corrupt Attorney General in modern American history" and said defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, "is next".
Republicans generally offered her well-wishes.
Blanche, now acting head of the justice department, said he was "grateful" for Bondi's "leadership and friendship".
"We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe," he said.
Florida senator Rick Scott said Bondi was a "great friend" and "one of the best lawyers" he'd met, adding that she did an "incredible job" both as the attorney general of both Florida and the US.
Reuters reported that Trump allies had been urging the president to act, with some pushing him to "rip off the Band-Aid" and make the change.
Trump told Bondi multiple times over the past several months that he was unhappy with her performance, a senior White House official told Reuters.
The official said Trump has contemplated replacing her with Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, but has also discussed other candidates.
Bondi is the second senior Trump official to be ousted in recent weeks, following the removal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in early March, following criticism of her management of the agency and Trump’s immigration agenda.
— With reporting by Reuters and Agence France-Presse news agencies.
For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.
