The move follows months of turmoil at the Justice Department and a bipartisan fight over records tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
WASHINGTON, DC — President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday and named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to serve as acting attorney general, ending Bondi’s turbulent 14-month run atop the Justice Department after weeks of pressure over Epstein-related files and the department’s politically charged agenda.
Bondi’s removal is one of the most consequential personnel changes of Trump’s second term because it lands at the center of fights over the independence of federal law enforcement, the handling of long-sought records in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and Trump’s repeated demand that the department move more aggressively against his political rivals. Her ouster also comes while Congress is still pressing for answers from Bondi, who had been expected to testify this month under subpoena about how the department handled those files.
Trump announced the change after privately discussing Bondi’s future for days as criticism mounted inside and outside the administration. The president had continued to praise her in public even as allies questioned her standing, at one point calling her “a wonderful person” who was doing “a good job.” But the pressure kept building after the Justice Department’s release of Epstein-related records angered lawmakers from both parties, victims’ advocates and some of Trump’s own supporters, who said the disclosures were incomplete, overly redacted and poorly handled. By Thursday, Trump had decided to make the change and elevate Blanche, a former federal prosecutor who later became one of Trump’s personal defense lawyers, to run the department on an acting basis while the White House looks for a permanent replacement.
Bondi’s departure caps a tenure defined as much by loyalty to Trump as by legal conflict. She arrived at the department after Trump dropped an earlier choice for attorney general and turned instead to Bondi, the former Florida attorney general and longtime political ally who had defended him during his first impeachment trial. Inside the department, Bondi quickly became a central figure in a broader reshaping of federal law enforcement. Career officials were pushed out, major cases touching Trump’s interests drew unusual attention and several efforts aimed at Trump’s adversaries ran into legal or procedural setbacks. Her handling of the Epstein records became the flashpoint. Lawmakers accused the department of withholding names and documents, and critics said the release failed to match Bondi’s own earlier public promises about what the files would show. Some facts remain disputed, including how much material is still being reviewed inside the department and who made final decisions on what was released.
The political damage was intensified by Bondi’s clashes with Congress. A House panel voted in March to compel her testimony, and a subpoena followed on March 17 as lawmakers demanded a fuller explanation of the department’s decisions in the Epstein matter. Bondi faced pointed questions earlier in the year about whether the department had concealed key names or records and about whether victims’ privacy had been protected. She said she would follow the law, but the scrutiny did not ease. Republicans who had once stood firmly behind her began to split, with some backing more aggressive oversight. Democrats argued that Bondi had turned the department into an arm of Trump’s political operation. Even after her firing, that fight is not over. Members of Congress have said her removal does not erase her obligation to appear, and the expected April 14 testimony remains a major next test in the fallout from her tenure.
The upheaval also raises broader questions about what remains of the Justice Department’s traditional independence. Under Bondi, the department often appeared closely aligned with Trump’s political goals, a shift that alarmed former officials and legal scholars who said the line between public prosecution and presidential grievance was being blurred. Several cases and investigative steps involving Trump critics became symbols of that concern, especially when courts rejected or slowed parts of the administration’s approach. Bondi’s supporters argued that she was restoring accountability and pursuing a tougher law-and-order strategy. Her critics said she weakened internal guardrails that had long been meant to keep the White House from steering criminal enforcement for personal or political gain. The Epstein controversy made those arguments easier for opponents to press because it touched both public distrust and a highly charged case that had already produced years of anger, conspiracy theories and demands for transparency.
For now, Blanche inherits both the title and the turmoil. He is best known nationally for representing Trump in several criminal matters before joining the administration, and his move into the top acting role means another close Trump ally will control the department at a moment of extraordinary tension. That could reassure the president, but it is unlikely to quiet criticism. Bondi’s successor must confront pending oversight demands, internal management questions and the continuing political storm around the Epstein files. The White House has not announced a formal nominee for the permanent job, though names such as Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin have circulated in reports about Trump’s thinking. Any permanent nominee would face confirmation scrutiny on the same issues that helped sink Bondi: whether the department can credibly enforce the law while remaining separate from Trump’s personal political battles.
Reaction on Capitol Hill was swift and sharp. Democratic lawmakers cast Bondi’s firing as evidence that loyalty to Trump is never enough if political results fall short, while some Republicans focused on the unfinished record fight that will outlast her. Others said the change does little by itself to restore trust in the department because Blanche comes from the same inner circle. The scene in Washington by Thursday evening was one of abrupt transition rather than closure: Bondi out, Blanche in, no permanent replacement named and multiple investigations and oversight fights still active. The Justice Department, a building meant to project stability and distance from partisan combat, was again at the center of it. What began as a personnel change quickly widened into a test of whether the administration can contain the legal and political consequences of Bondi’s tenure.
As of Thursday night, Bondi was out, Blanche was serving as acting attorney general and Congress was still preparing for the next showdown over Epstein-related records. The next major milestone is Bondi’s expected April 14 appearance under subpoena, which could determine how much of this fight remains focused on her and how much shifts to the man now running the department.
Author note: Last updated April 2, 2026.