US President Donald Trump has removed Attorney General Pam Bondi, a longtime ally and fierce defender of his administration, from her post as the nation's top law enforcement officer. Trump praised her in a post on Truth Social and said she would be "transitioning" to a role in the private sector. This move comes as Bondi's tenure was often overshadowed by controversies surrounding the handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein and the investigation into the convicted sex offender.
Bondi is the second Trump administration official to be ousted in recent weeks, following the removal of Kristi Noem as homeland security chief in March. She will be replaced by her former deputy, Todd Blanche. Blanche denied US media reports that Bondi's management of the Epstein files had influenced Trump's decision, stating, "As President Trump said today, the attorney general made our country safe again, and she is a friend and did a great job in the first year of this administration."
Bondi said she would be "working tirelessly" to transfer her duties to Blanche, adding that the job had "been the honour" of a lifetime. She noted that in her new private sector position, which she did not specify, she would "continue fighting for President Trump and this administration." The announcement follows less than two months after a contentious congressional hearing where Bondi faced intense questioning from lawmakers, at times leading to shouting matches where she called one Democrat a "washed-up loser."
Reports indicate that Trump's support for Bondi had been eroding over months, particularly due to issues with the Epstein files. Bondi had vowed transparency in the Epstein case and promised to release an alleged client list associated with the disgraced financier, but the Justice Department later claimed no such list existed. Ultimately, millions of Epstein-related documents were released under pressure, including from Trump supporters, and only after Congress passed a law requiring the Department of Justice to make unclassified records public.
Under Bondi's leadership, the Justice Department pursued several criminal investigations into political opponents of the president, including California Senator Adam Schiff, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and former FBI Director James Comey. In September, Trump urged Bondi to more aggressively investigate his political adversaries. Bondi was part of Trump's legal team during his first impeachment trial and when he made baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him through mass voter fraud.
Source: www.bbc.com