President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he has fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, removing her as the nation’s top prosecutor.
“Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, adding, “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.”
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general, the president wrote.
Trump had informed Bondi in recent days that she would soon be removed from her position, a White House official and another person familiar with the situation told MS NOW. The official said Trump still personally likes Bondi and notified her before the official removal to “help her along.” Many people in Trump’s closest orbit have been advocating for her removal for months, the official told MS NOW.
In a statement released on X Thursday afternoon, Bondi said she will spend the next month facilitating the transition to Blanche, whom she called “amazing,” before moving into what she called “an important private sector role I am thrilled about, and where I will continue fighting for President Trump and this Administration.”
“Leading President Trump’s historic and highly successful efforts to make America safer and more secure has been the honor of a lifetime, and easily the most consequential first year of the Department of Justice in American history,” Bondi said.
“I remain eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again,” she added.
Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, is on the shortlist to replace Bondi, three sources familiar with the matter said. Other possible replacements the president is considering, according to four people familiar with the situation, include Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and a staunch Trump ally; Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., who previously served as Missouri’s attorney general; and Alina Habba, Trump’s former personal lawyer, who was disqualified by an appeals court in December from serving as New Jersey U.S. attorney.
The Wall Street Journal reported in January that Trump had been increasingly unhappy with Bondi for not enforcing his agenda more effectively, including her failure to successfully prosecute his political foes and her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files release.
Trump had similarly unceremonious partings with his attorneys general during his first term, but Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, had a record of displaying unwavering loyalty to Trump. That played out under her leadership of the Justice Department — Bondi oversaw the firings of officials who worked on Trump’s criminal investigations and Jan. 6 cases, the gutting of the agency’s Civil Rights Division and the targeting of the president’s critics. She also sat for a combative hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in October, during which she insulted Democrats on the panel and deflected on questions about Trump’s prosecution of his enemies.
In September, the president inadvertently posted what appeared to be a private message to Bondi on Truth Social, urging her to prosecute some of his biggest foes: New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey and Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California.
Weeks later, the Justice Department indicted Comey and James. Both cases have since been dismissed by judges, though it appears the DOJ may continue to pursue a criminal probe into James. MS NOW also reported in January that the DOJ fired a prosecutor who declined to lead the case against Comey.
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Democrats celebrated Bondi’s firing. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called Bondi “a partisan, petulant, political hack.”
“Good riddance,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on X.
Reactions from Republicans have, thus far, been more muted.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., called her “a great friend and one of the best lawyers I’ve ever met.” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., thanked Bondi for “her dedicated service to our country.”
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., one of the few Republicans to sign onto the discharge petition that forced a vote on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, applauded Bondi’s removal. “Bondi handled the Epstein Files in a terrible manner and seriously undermined President Trump,” she wrote in a post on social media.
“She has stonewalled every effort to hold the guilty accountable,” Mace added. “The American people deserve an Attorney General who is transparent and delivers real accountability.”
Bondi’s ousting marks the second departure of a Trump Cabinet member this term, after he ousted Kristi Noem as Department of Homeland Security secretary in March, replacing her with Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. Trump said Noem will serve as special envoy of a Western Hemisphere security initiative called the “Shield of the Americas.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Jake Traylor is a White House correspondent for MS NOW.
Laura Barrón-López covers the White House for MS NOW.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
Julianne McShane is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW who also covers the politics of abortion and reproductive rights. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at jmcshane.19 or follow her on X or Bluesky.