Attorney General Pam Bondi was removed from her job during a two-mile ride in the presidential limousine to the Supreme Court. President Trump told her, 'I think it's time,' according to an associate. Bondi's 14-month tenure as the nation's top law-enforcement official was marked by awkward and chaotic moments.
Trump had decided earlier in the week that he was replacing Bondi, frustrated by her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigative files and incensed that she had not successfully prosecuted a number of his political enemies. Trump has floated Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin as attorney general to other advisers, but hasn't decided on anyone.
Bondi and Trump had talked about her leaving since around the beginning of the year, and he had regularly expressed dissatisfaction with the speed at which she handled his agenda. She is expected to leave the Justice Department in about a month.
The Justice Department had a giant banner with Trump's face on it hung on its main building, an unprecedented move that illustrated his control over the agency. Bondi was known to be sensitive to criticism, and the Epstein controversy weighed on her especially.
Trump had long envisioned more of a bulldog in the role, and Bondi was a trusted fallback with an easy Southern demeanor and many years in public office. Despite the criticism, Bondi has been heartened by the support she has received and a flood of job offers, ranging from television to law.
