Donald Trump has fired Pam Bondi, nan US lawyer general, according to aggregate reports, dismissing a loyalist who reshaped nan justness department, but still grounded to please a president fixated connected prosecuting governmental enemies and disappointment pinch nan politically explosive merchandise of nan Jeffrey Epstein files.
“Pam Bondi is simply a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served arsenic my Attorney General complete nan past year. Pam did a tremendous occupation overseeing a monolithic crackdown successful Crime crossed our Country, pinch Murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900,” Trump wrote successful a station connected Truth Social. “We emotion Pam, and she will beryllium transitioning to a overmuch needed and important caller occupation successful nan backstage sector, to beryllium announced astatine a day successful nan adjacent future.” He added that Todd Blanche, nan lawman lawyer general, would service arsenic acting lawyer general.
Lee Zeldin, a erstwhile New York congressman who now leads nan Environmental Protection Agency, is said to beryllium a apical contender to switch Bondi.
Bondi presided complete a awesome purging of career justness section staff, shifted attraction distant from criminal prosecutions toward migration cases and spearheaded nan defense of Trump’s towering stack of executive orders arsenic they faced ineligible challenges.
But she will beryllium possibly champion remembered for complying pinch Trump’s nationalist request past twelvemonth that national prosecutors bring criminal charges against his individual enemies. Within 3 weeks, federal prosecutors had indicted James Comey, a erstwhile FBI director, and Letitia James, nan New York lawyer general.
Federal prosecutors during Bondi’s tenure also indicted John Bolton, Trump’s erstwhile nationalist information adviser, and tried unsuccessfully to person a expansive assemblage to bring criminal charges against six members of Congress aft Trump publically accused them of “seditious behavior”. The Department of Justice has continued to analyse different Trump foes.
Bondi is besides wide known for her contradictory statements astir nan Epstein files, which helped thrust nan push for their merchandise successful nan sanction of transparency.
Trump had grown progressively impatient successful caller months pinch her handling of nan Epstein files, which person go a continuing liability to nan White House.
More specifications soon …
2 months ago