...
By Jenna Sundel and Gabe Whisnant
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Pam Bondi on Thursday said she is preparing to leave the Department of Justice (DOJ) for a job in the private sector, adding that she will spend the coming weeks helping shift leadership to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
In a post on X, Bondi defended her tenure as attorney general and praised President Donald Trump, saying she plans to continue supporting his administration in her next role.
Bondi wrote, "Over the next month I will be working tirelessly to transition the office of Attorney General to the amazing Todd Blanche before moving to 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."
Read More on Politics
...
Trump praised Bondi in a Truth Social post announcing her departure on Thursday. "Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year. Pam did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown in Crime across our Country, with Murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900."
Why It Matters
Trump did not provide a reason for Bondi's firing. Reporting from multiple outlets has said Trump had become frustrated with Bondi’s handling of several DOJ matters, including the release of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the speed of investigations into Trump's political adversaries.
Trump, however, wrote on Truth Social, "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, and our Deputy Attorney General, and a very talented and respected Legal Mind, Todd Blanche, will step in to serve as Acting Attorney General."
What To Know
Bondi took to X to reflect on her time leading the DOJ: "Since February 2025, we have secured the lowest murder rate in 125 years, secured first-ever terrorism convictions against members of Antifa, shattered domestic and transnational gangs across the country, taken custody of more than 90 key cartel figures, and won 24 favorable rulings at the Supreme Court. I remain eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again."
Lawmakers from both parties reacted to the news of Bondi's firing on Thursday.
"Pam Bondi oversaw an unprecedented weaponization of the Justice Department that brought our nation's rule of law to its knees. Countless and baseless political investigations, hundreds of career law enforcement professionals purged, a massive cover-up of the Epstein files, and a wholesale effort to turn the department into a criminal law firm representing the person of the president instead of the American people," Senator Adam Schiff, California Democrat, said on X.
Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, said he supports Trump firing Bondi. "I hope the next AG will release all the Epstein files according to the law and follow up with investigations, prosecutions, and arrests," Massie said on X.
What People Are Saying
Blanche, on X: "Pam Bondi led this Department with strength and conviction and I’m grateful for her leadership and friendship. Thank you to President Trump for the trust and the opportunity to serve as Acting Attorney General. We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe."
Skye Perryman, Democracy Forward president and CEO, in a statement sent to Newsweek: "Pam Bondi’s time as the U.S. Attorney General will be remembered for her disregard for justice: politicizing the Justice Department and its investigations, undermining the rule of law, wreaking havoc on people and communities, and using the power of her office to target the lawyers and law firms. Her tenure will also be marked by an astonishing lack of transparency, including around her firing of career prosecutors who pursued cases against those responsible for violence on January 6, 2021, the president’s significant violations of the law, and the handling of the Epstein Files, where key information was withheld from the American public and Congress, and basic questions went unanswered, deepening distrust in the department."
What Happens Next
Trump said Blanche will serve as acting attorney general following Bondi's firing.
Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines