Trump removes Pam Bondi as US attorney general, White House official says

Washington: US President Donald Trump has removed Attorney General Pam Bondi from office, a White House official said on Thursday, after growing dissatisfaction with her performance, including her handling of investigative records linked to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump had also become frustrated that Bondi was not acting quickly enough to pursue prosecutions against critics and opponents he wanted to face criminal charges.

In a social media post, Trump described Bondi as a Great American patriot and a loyal friend and said she would move into the private sector. He also announced that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as his personal lawyer, would head the Justice Department on an interim basis.

During her time as the country’s top law enforcement official, Bondi strongly backed Trump’s agenda and rolled back the Justice Department’s longstanding practice of maintaining independence from the White House in investigations. However, criticism surrounding the Epstein files came to overshadow her tenure, including objections from Trump allies and some Republican lawmakers.

Epstein files controversy

Bondi faced accusations of concealing or mishandling the release of records tied to the Department of Justice’s sex trafficking investigations into Epstein, who had connections with a range of wealthy and influential figures.

The issue created political difficulties for Trump and brought renewed attention to his former friendship with Epstein, which Trump has said ended decades ago.

Bondi had defended the handling of the files, saying the Trump administration had shown more transparency on the matter than previous presidents and that Justice Department lawyers had reviewed a large volume of material under a compressed timeline.

Early last year, Bondi added to speculation over the Epstein records by saying a client list was on her desk for review. But after an initial disclosure largely contained material that was already public, the DOJ and FBI said in July that the matter was closed and that no further releases were justified.

That decision triggered strong criticism, and in November a bipartisan law was passed requiring the Justice Department to release nearly all of its files. Even after roughly 3 million pages of records were made public, the controversy continued, with lawmakers objecting to redactions and to the disclosure of the identities of some Epstein victims.

The Republican-led House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Bondi, and she had been scheduled to testify on April 14.

Criticism and fallout

Bondi, a former Republican attorney general in Florida, had said she was working to restore the Justice Department’s focus on violent crime and rebuild trust with Trump’s supporters after federal prosecutors brought two criminal cases against Trump during the years he was out of office.

She also came under criticism over the dismissal of dozens of career prosecutors who had worked on investigations opposed by Trump, with critics accusing her of moving away from the department’s traditional commitment to even-handed justice.

At a combative House hearing in January, Bondi answered criticism with political attacks aimed at lawmakers. She also declined to apologise or to look at Epstein victims and their relatives who were present at the proceedings.

Her removal could result in a broader shift in Justice Department strategy and potentially a renewed effort to use the US legal system against Trump’s targets.

Bondi is the second senior Trump official to be removed in recent weeks. Trump had earlier dismissed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on March 5 after criticism over her management of the department and of Trump’s immigration agenda.