Attorney General Pam Bondi will be out of her role “imminently,” according to a report.
On Thursday, sources confirmed to Politico that Bondi is likely on the way out of the Donald Trump administration, and that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin could be her replacement.
The Politico report comes hours after the New York Times reported that Trump has considered replacing Bondi over the backlash over her handling of the Epstein files, according to new reports.
The Independent has contacted the White House and Bondi’s office for comment on the reports.
Bondi has been under fire since the botched release of the Epstein files. Trump campaigned on releasing more from the investigation into the convicted pedophile. However, over the summer, Bondi said there would be no new information released. Congress then passed a law requiring the release of the files. The Department of Justice did not release the full files by the deadline and many of the thousands of pages were redacted.
That drew fury from both sides of the political aisle, with some calling for Bondi’s job.
Trump publicly expressed confidence in his Attorney General as she accompanied him to the Supreme Court hearing Wednesday to hear arguments on birthright citizenship laws.
“Attorney General Pam Bondi is a wonderful person and she is doing a good job,” the president said in a statement to The Times, while a source told CNN that the pair were conducting “business as usual.”
The speculation comes as Bondi is expected to give a deposition to the House Oversight Committee later this month, after being subpoenaed by the Republican-led committee. She is due to testify on April 14 about the Justice Department’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in his prison cell in 2019.
Congress passed a law requiring the release of the files, but many pages were redacted and released well after the deadline required by law.
“We want to know why the D.O.J. is more focused on shielding the powerful than delivering justice,” South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace said, according to The Times. She added the Epstein case is “one of the greatest cover-ups in American history.”
Epstein’s victims have also denounced Bondi’s handling of the case and noted that the names of possible accomplices were redacted. Only victim information was supposed to be kept from the public view.
However, Bondi has backed the DOJ’s handling of the files’ release.
“We’re proud of the work we’ve done on this,” Bondi previously said.
Plans to replace Bondi originally swirled in January, CNN reports, but then died down after the issue somewhat fell out of the news cycle – replaced with the unrest in Minnesota and then the conflict in Iran.
At the time Zeldin was not mentioned as a specific candidate to step in as Attorney General. The EPA boss previously worked as an attorney and represented New York’s 1st congressional district. He also ran for state governor in 2022 where he lost to Kathy Hochul.
He has since remained a close ally of the president, including in the run up to the 2024 presidential election.
Trump has also complained about Bondi’s lack of clear communication skills, according toThe Times. In addition, the president has bemoaned the lack of aggressiveness of the DOJ in going after his political enemies. In September last year, Trump publicly posted a Truth Social post that appeared to be addressed directly to Bondi.
“Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, [are] essentially, same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done,” the president wrote in his post that he later deleted.
“What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.”
