Trump fires Pam Bondi after Epstein criticism
Pam Bondi is absent. President Trump has fired the US attorney general following criticism of the Epstein file.
After just over a year on the job, Pam Bondi is no longer the nation’s top law enforcement officer.
The former Florida attorney general and ally of President Donald Trump served as U.S. attorney general for 14 months, during which time he sparked controversy and significant criticism.
Bondi’s tenure has been eventful, from launching investigations into people considered the president’s enemies to overseeing the botched release of millions of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Here’s what you need to know about her biggest controversies.
Pam Bondi fired from Justice Department amid reports of rift with President Trump
In an April 2 social media post, President Trump praised Bondi as a “great American patriot and loyal friend” and said he would move to the private sector.
But in recent days, multiple media outlets have reported that the president is unhappy with the attorney general, particularly over the department’s response to the release of documents related to the sex trafficking investigation into the late convicted financier Epstein.
Bondi’s firing marks the second time in President Trump’s second term that he has fired a Cabinet member. He fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March and replaced her with former Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin.
In the interim, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the president’s former personal lawyer, will lead the Justice Department.
Bondi’s tenure in office jeopardized by Epstein file controversy
Mr. Bondi’s tenure was marred by accusations of mismanagement over his handling of the Epstein file. In recent months, several prominent members of Congress have alleged that she was involved in a cover-up regarding the investigation, further fueling what has proven to be a stubborn thorn in the Trump administration’s side.
The outgoing attorney general was one of the most vocal advocates for transparency in the Epstein case before and shortly after becoming the country’s top law enforcement official, pledging to release Justice Department information about the accused sex trafficker. But within months, Bondi became the subject of federal misconduct charges related to the Epstein investigation and a frequent target of conspiracy theories.
Congress almost unanimously passed an unusual bipartisan agreement to force the Justice Department to release the files to the public after Mr. Bondi refused to release them in July 2025, breaking an earlier promise. The department missed the deadline and released about 60% of Epstein-related documents. Blanche said the records left behind include the names of women who have accused Epstein of abuse, who could harm potential prosecutions, or who are protected under legal privilege.
The Justice Department under Bondi also came under fire for failing to prosecute the alleged accomplices of sex traffickers. Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, is the only person indicted so far and is currently serving a 20-year sentence. Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges. The Justice Department estimates that the deceased fund manager victimized more than 1,000 women and children.
Anger over the release culminated in a raucous oversight hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on February 11, which featured heated exchanges and open yelling between Bondi and House Democrats. Lawmakers accused Mr. Bondi of abandoning victims of sex offenders to protect the president, who once befriended Mr. Epstein, and other powerful friends and allies of President Trump. Bondi strongly denied allegations of a cover-up, telling lawmakers at a hearing in February that an investigation into possible co-conspirators was underway.
Republicans on the committee rushed to Bondi’s defense, but the cracks in support have widened, with some Republicans also expressing displeasure with his response to the release of the files. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee subpoenaed Bondi on April 14 to testify about the Epstein file.
Investigations into people considered President Trump’s Democratic opponents have failed.
Mr. Bondi has also come under fire for firing dozens of career prosecutors who worked on investigations criticized by Mr. Trump, with critics accusing him of abandoning the Justice Department’s traditional emphasis on impartial justice.
Her handling of the investigation into President Trump’s political rivals has also been controversial, and the president has made an unusual public request to speed up the investigation.
President Trump publicly pressured Bondi on social media in September 2025 to take legal action against New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey, and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. But judges dismissed the charges against James and Comey, and a grand jury declined to bring new charges. Mr. Schiff has not been charged.
The grand jury also declined to indict any suspects in the investigation by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia. One investigation targeted six Democratic members of Congress for encouraging the military to disobey illegal orders.
Contributed by: Reuters; Bert Jansen, USA TODAY.
Kathryn Palmer is USA TODAY’s political reporter. She can be reached at the following address: kapalmer@usatoday.com And to X@Kathryn Purml. Sign up for her daily politics newsletter here.
