Donald Trump SACKS Attorney General Pam Bondi over Epstein files fallout

George Bunn
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:20:15 +0000

US President Donald Trump has fired Pam Bondi as US Attorney General amid the fallout from the release of the files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

Frustration has been growing within the White House over Ms Bondi's handling of investigative files related to the late financier and sex offender.

Mr Trump had also reportedly grown frustrated that Ms Bondi was not moving quickly enough to prosecute critics and adversaries who he wanted to face criminal charges.

Ms Bondi has become the second high-profile sacking from President Trump's administration, after the removal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on March 5 following criticism of her management of the agency and the White House's immigration agenda.

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President Trump has confirmed she was being replaced by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in an acting capacity.

Ms Bondi was an outspoken champion of President Trump’s agenda and dismantled the Justice Department’s longstanding tradition of independence from the White House in its investigations.

However, she was accused of covering up or mismanaging the release of records on the Department of Justice (DoJ) sex trafficking investigations into Epstein, a financier who cultivated ties with a wide array of wealthy and powerful figures.

The issue created political headaches for President Trump and drew renewed scrutiny of his past friendship with Epstein, which he has said ended decades ago.

Ms Bondi, a former Republican state attorney general in Florida, said she worked on restoring the Justice Department’s focus on violent crime and rebuilding trust with Trump’s supporters after federal prosecutors twice criminally charged Trump during his years out of power.

She also faced criticism over the removal of dozens of career prosecutors who worked on investigations disfavoured by President Trump, with critics accusing her of abandoning the DoJ’s traditional focus on even-handed justice.

Ms Bondi defended the rollout of the Epstein files, saying the Trump administration had been more transparent on the issue than previous presidents and that DoJ lawyers worked on a compressed timeline to review reams of material.

During a combative hearing before a House of Representatives panel in January, Ms Bondi responded to criticism with political attacks directed at lawmakers. She also refused to apologise or look at Epstein victims and their relatives who attended the proceedings.

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Ms Bondi early last year played into fevered speculation about the Epstein files, saying a client list was on her desk for review.

However, after an initial release included material that had largely already been public, the DoJ and FBI declared in July that the case was closed and that no further disclosures were warranted.

The move prompted an eruption of criticism and eventually a bipartisan law was passed in November requiring the Justice Department to release nearly all of its files.

In a social media post, President Trump praised Ms Bondi as a "Great American Patriot and a loyal friend" and said she will move to a job in the private sector