Trump Has Discussed Firing Attorney General Pam Bondi

Trump fire Pam Bondi: President weighs ousting AG after 3 months in office

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

President Trump has discussed removing Attorney General Pam Bondi from her post, according to three people familiar with the conversations.

The discussions began within the past two weeks and center on Bondi’s handling of Justice Department operations and her perceived loyalty to Trump’s agenda, the sources told The New York Times.

Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, took office in February as the nation’s top law enforcement official. She had served as one of Trump’s defense attorneys during his first impeachment trial and was seen as a loyalist who would reshape the department according to his wishes.

The president’s dissatisfaction stems from several recent decisions at the department, including Bondi’s approach to prosecuting January 6 defendants and her refusal to immediately fire certain career officials Trump views as hostile to his administration, two of the sources said. Trump has vented to aides that Bondi is “too establishment” and has not moved quickly enough to purge what he calls “deep state” elements within the agency.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to comment on “personnel matters” when asked about Bondi’s status. Bondi’s spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

The attorney general learned of Trump’s concerns through intermediaries and has sought to address them by accelerating certain personnel changes and reviewing ongoing prosecutions, one person close to the situation said. She met with White House officials twice this week to discuss the department’s direction.

Any move to fire Bondi would mark the second major shakeup in Trump’s cabinet since he took office in January. The president dismissed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month after weeks of internal tensions over military policy and personnel decisions.

Trump’s relationship with Bondi had appeared solid during the transition. He praised her “tough” approach to crime during a November press conference announcing her nomination and cited her experience prosecuting cases in Florida. Bondi had been a frequent surrogate for Trump on cable news and campaigned extensively for him in battleground states.

The tensions began emerging in late March when Bondi resisted pressure from the White House to immediately dismiss several senior career prosecutors involved in cases against Trump allies, sources said. She argued that wholesale firings could appear politically motivated and potentially violate federal employment laws.

Her position frustrated Trump, who had expected more aggressive action to reshape the department. The president has complained to confidants that Bondi is “playing it safe” and not showing sufficient loyalty, according to one person who spoke with him.

Bondi’s defenders note that she has moved to dismiss several January 6 cases and has initiated reviews of other prosecutions Trump opposes. She also fired the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., and replaced him with a Trump loyalist. But these steps have not satisfied the president’s expectations for rapid change.

The attorney general faces pressure from multiple directions. Career Justice Department employees have pushed back against political interference in cases, while Trump’s allies demand faster action to undo what they view as partisan prosecutions from the Biden era.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, a Trump ally, said Bondi needs to “pick up the pace” on personnel changes. “The American people voted for change, not for the status quo with a different nameplate,” Jordan told reporters Thursday.

Democrats warned that firing Bondi would further politicize the Justice Department. “This president thinks the attorney general works for him personally, not for the American people,” Senator Dick Durbin said.

Background

Trump’s relationship with his attorneys general has been turbulent throughout his political career. He fired Jeff Sessions in 2018 for recusing himself from the Russia investigation, then pushed out William Barr in 2020 after Barr declined to support his election fraud claims.

The pattern reflects Trump’s expectation that the Justice Department should serve his political interests. He has repeatedly expressed frustration with the traditional independence of federal law enforcement and has sought officials who will protect him and pursue his adversaries.

Bondi came into the job with less federal experience than her predecessors. She spent most of her career in Florida state government and as a private attorney. Her supporters argued this made her more likely to bring fresh perspective to the department.

What’s Next

Trump is expected to decide on Bondi’s fate within the next week, according to people familiar with his thinking. If he removes her, potential replacements include former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, sources said.