U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday, April 2 that Attorney General Pam Bondi will end her tenure as the nation’s top law enforcement official. Her deputy, Todd Blanche, will serve as Acting Attorney General.
Trump posted on the platform Truth Social: “Pam Bondi is a great American patriot and a loyal friend. Over the past year, she has faithfully served as my Attorney General. Pam has done an outstanding job combating crime nationwide, bringing the murder rate down to its lowest level since 1900.”
Bondi issued a statement Thursday afternoon on X, confirming she will complete the transition within the next month. She said she will assist in smoothly handing over the Attorney General’s office to Blanche before moving into a private-sector role, while continuing to support the Trump administration.
She also emphasized that her tenure produced significant law enforcement achievements, including lowering crime rates, combating gangs and drug trafficking networks, and securing multiple rulings in the Supreme Court.
According to the BBC, the personnel change was largely triggered by controversies surrounding the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein case.
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The report noted that under Bondi, the Department of Justice’s handling of Epstein-related documents continued to draw criticism. When she took office in February 2025, she promised greater transparency and the release of a “client list,” but the DOJ later stated no such list existed. Eventually, under Congressional mandates and external pressure, a large number of documents were made public.
This process drew bipartisan dissatisfaction. Some lawmakers criticized the DOJ for failing to fully comply with legal requirements and even improperly withholding some materials, while others questioned the inconsistent standards between privacy protection and public disclosure. The DOJ denied all allegations.
Meanwhile, some Epstein survivors stated that Bondi never met with them or responded to communications, fueling ongoing controversy that became a political burden for the Trump administration. Congress has recently issued a formal subpoena for Bondi to explain the case handling, with her testimony originally scheduled for later this month.
The report noted that Trump’s dissatisfaction with Bondi had visibly grown, especially over the Epstein documents issue.
Bondi also became the second cabinet-level official removed in recent weeks; earlier, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was dismissed in March.
Blanche posted on X that Bondi “led the DOJ with firmness and conviction” and said he would continue her law enforcement direction. Meanwhile, Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky called for full disclosure of the Epstein documents and the continuation of investigations and prosecutions.
Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California urged the Senate to closely review the successor, and Republican Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina criticized Bondi’s handling of related cases, saying it “weakened the president.”