Donald Trump has fired US Attorney General Pam Bondi, a White House official said Thursday, after growing dissatisfaction with her work, including her handling of investigations into the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to reports, Trump was also frustrated that Bondi did not act quickly enough to bring criminal charges against critics and opponents he wanted to prosecute.
In a post on social media, Trump praised Bondi as a “great American patriot and loyal friend” and said she would be moving into the private sector. Trump added that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will temporarily take over the leadership of the Justice Department.
During her tenure as America’s top law enforcement official, Bondi was a combative advocate of the Trump agenda and broke with the Justice Department’s longstanding tradition of keeping investigations independent of the White House.
However, repeated criticism over the Epstein files, including from Trump allies and some Republicans, has dominated her tenure. Bondi has been accused of covering up or mismanaging the release of Justice Department documents into the sexual abuse investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, who had ties to the rich and powerful.
A political problem
The situation created political problems for Trump and renewed attention to his longtime friendship with Epstein, which Trump claimed ended decades ago.
Her removal could lead to changes in the Justice Department’s strategy and possibly new pressure to turn the US legal system against Trump’s goals.
Bondi is the second senior Trump administration official to be fired recently. On March 5, Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after criticism of the agency’s management and Trump’s immigration policies.
Bondi, a former Republican attorney general in Florida, said she was working to restore the Justice Department’s focus on violent crimes and rebuild trust among Trump supporters after federal prosecutors brought charges against Trump twice while he was out of office.
Bondi has also been criticized for removing dozens of career prosecutors who worked on investigations unfavorable to Trump, amid accusations that she abandoned the Justice Department’s traditional focus on impartial justice.
Bondi defended the release of the Epstein files, arguing that the Trump administration was more transparent than previous presidents and that DOJ lawyers were working on a tight deadline to review large amounts of material.
Conflicts with legislators
During a confrontational hearing before a House committee in January, Bondi responded to criticism with political attacks on lawmakers. She refused to apologize or look at Epstein’s victims and their families who attended the hearing.
Early last year, Bondi further fueled speculation about the files, saying a client list was on her desk for review. However, after the initial release included material that was already largely public, the DOJ and FBI declared the case closed in July, saying no further disclosures were required.
This decision provoked an avalanche of criticism, and in November, a bipartisan law was passed ordering the Ministry of Justice to release almost all files.
The release of roughly 3 million pages of documents did not quell the controversy, however, as lawmakers criticized censorship of the files and the disclosure of the identities of some of Epstein’s victims.
The Republican-dominated House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Bondi to testify, and her testimony was scheduled for April 14.
(Vijesti.ba)
