President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday, and within hours, her presence at the Justice Department was quickly erased.
Images soon began circulating showing her official portrait taken down from the walls and placed in a trash bin.
According to current and former Justice Department officials, the moment reflected how unpopular Bondi had become among career staff.
Many employees reportedly left the department during her tenure rather than follow her orders, while others were forced out.
Past tensions inside the Justice Department were linked in part to an incident early in her tenure, where she entered a secure area and removed portraits of President Joe Biden and former Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Bondi's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files also added pressure, as her contradictory statements led to calls for transparency and reportedly increased Trump's frustration.
Her firing had reportedly been building for some time, with tensions growing over several issues, including her removal of many career Justice Department staff and her focus on immigration cases.
