Trump fires Pam Bondi as U.S. attorney general

US Attorney General Pam Bondi fired as lawyer by President Donald Trump. Trump told Fox News, “Pam Bondi is no longer the Attorney General of the United States. The President of the United States confirmed the progress of the Truth Society. “Pam Bondi is a great American patriot and a loyal friend who has served faithfully as my Attorney General for the past year. Pam did an outstanding job overseeing a massive crackdown on crime across the country, with the murder rate plummeting to its lowest level since 1900,” he said.Trump confirmed Todd Branch as acting attorney general and said Bondi would transition to the private sector. “We love Pam and she will transition into a much-needed and important new job in the private sector that will be announced in the near future, as our Deputy Attorney General and an extremely talented and respected legal mind, Todd Branch, will step in as Acting Attorney General. Thank you for your attention to this matter! ” he added in the statement.Reuters quoted a White House official as saying the move follows growing frustration with her performance, including her handling of investigative documents related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Trump was also reportedly frustrated that Bundy didn’t act quickly enough to prosecute critics and opponents who he hoped would face criminal charges.Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, has been a staunch and combative advocate of Trump’s agenda during his time in office, pushing policies that critics say eroded the Justice Department’s longstanding tradition of independence from the White House. She also oversaw the firing of dozens of career prosecutors linked to investigations Trump disapproved of and was accused of undermining the Justice Department’s commitment to impartial justice.However, her time in office has been dominated by controversy over the handling of documents related to financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Bondi faces ongoing criticism from Trump allies and Republican lawmakers over accusations that the Justice Department mishandled or was not transparent enough with the release of records related to Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation. Epstein’s ties to influential figures remain a politically sensitive subject and have reignited scrutiny of Trump’s past relationship with him, which the president said ended decades ago.The issue escalated after Bundy initially suggested that a list of Epstein-related clients was under review. While the early disclosures largely contained material that had already been made public, the Justice Department and FBI later declared the case closed and said no further releases were necessary. The move sparked a bipartisan backlash that ultimately led to legislation requiring the release of most of the remaining documents.Despite the subsequent release of some 3 million pages of documents, the controversy persists. Lawmakers criticized the broad changes and expressed concern about the revelation of the identities of some victims. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee has begun subpoenaing Bondi, and she is scheduled to testify on April 14.Bondi defended her handling of the documents, saying the Trump administration was more transparent than its predecessors and that officials reviewed vast amounts of records under a tight timeline. During a contentious House hearing in January, she countered criticism with political attacks on lawmakers and refused to apologize to the victims and their families who attended the hearing.In addition to the Epstein matter, Bondi has faced internal criticism for the speed with which he has taken legal action against Trump critics, with the president reportedly frustrated that prosecutions are not moving quickly enough.Her removal could mark a shift in the Justice Department’s strategy, which could include using the legal system more aggressively against Trump’s political opponents.Bondi is the second senior official to be fired in recent weeks, after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was ousted on March 5 amid criticism over her handling of the agency and immigration policies.