Donald Trump has fired Pam Bondi as his attorney general after a tumultuous tenure at the Department of Justice.
Trump said that Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general until a permanent nominee is picked.
She is the second cabinet secretary to be fired in less than a month, following months of controversy over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Trump informed the attorney general last night shortly before his Iran speech that she would soon be leaving the Justice Department, according to a senior administration source.
Following the meeting, Bondi left Washington DC on Thursday morning and flew back to her home in Florida. She remained at the White House for the remainder of Trump’s speech.
Bondi responded by pleading for the President to give her more time in the role, but Trump remained firm that her time leading the agency was over, the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal.
‘She was unhappy and tried to change his mind,’ the source said.
However, the President told her she was fired and that an announcement would be made shortly. The announcement was set to be made on Friday, but is now ‘imminent’ because of all the media attention, according to the source.
Trump’s reasoning for the sudden dismissal comes in part because the President believes Bondi tipped off Eric Swalwell about the FBI ’s efforts to release investigative documents related to his relationship with an alleged Chinese spy.
The FBI was preparing a cache of documents on Swalwell’s relationship with Christine Fang.
‘She’s intervening in those matters. The White House wasn’t pleased she was intervening due to her personal friendship with Swalwell,’ the source added.
It is unclear why Bondi would have intervened, but it is believed that Bondi and Swalwell have a friendly relationship.
Swalwell has openly criticized her since she took the AG position after failing to prosecute multiple death threats against him and his family.
The Daily Mail revealed that Trump is preparing to replace her earlier Thursday, after speaking to several sources familiar with his thinking.
On Wednesday, Bondi traveled with Trump to the Supreme Court to watch proceedings for the birthright citizenship case and attended his primetime speech about the war in Iran.
But as the President’s Cabinet gathered to focus on Iran, rumors ricocheted through Washington about Bondi’s replacement.
She’s taken a lower media profile in recent weeks as the President privately excoriates her for failing to prosecute his political enemies who tried to throw him in jail and end his political career.
Bondi’s tenure was marred by her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, as the administration faced accusations of a lack of transparency.
Reports have circulated that he is considering tapping MAGA-aligned EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin as her replacement.
‘Let’s hope it’s Zeldin,’ one former Trump administration official told the Daily Mail.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is also raising his profile – appearing at CPAC last week, where he received a warm welcome from conservatives in the audience.
He told the audience that he went to night school in Brooklyn – rather than an Ivy League – as he was a young father.
