Trump Announces Attorney General Pam Bondi's Transition to Private Sector Role

By [Your Name], April 3, 2026

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Attorney General Pam Bondi is leaving her position to take a new role in the private sector. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that Bondi had served faithfully and would transition to "a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future."

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general, Trump said.

U.S. media outlets, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that Trump had expressed frustration with Bondi's handling of investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who died in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges.

Trump praised Bondi in his post, calling her "a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend" who had overseen a "massive crackdown in Crime across our Country, with Murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900." He wrote, "We love Pam."

Bondi responded on X, formerly Twitter, describing her service as "the honor of a lifetime." She said she would "continue fighting for President Trump" in her new private sector position and planned to work over the next month to ensure a smooth transition to Blanche. Bondi added that she remained "eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again."

Trump and Bondi had attended a Supreme Court hearing together on Wednesday, according to White House photos posted on X.

Bondi faced criticism regarding the Department of Justice's management of records from its investigations into Epstein, who had connections to numerous high-profile individuals. Critics accused her of delaying or mishandling the release of these files.

In January, Bondi testified before a House of Representatives panel on the matter. Lawmakers questioned her about the files, and she defended the department's actions while directing criticism toward some committee members. Epstein survivors and their relatives attended the hearing.

Bondi's professional background includes 18 years as a prosecutor. She was elected Florida's attorney general in 2010, becoming the first woman in that role, and won re-election in 2014.

She later joined Trump's legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020, related to allegations that he pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden, Trump's 2020 election opponent.

Upon taking office as U.S. attorney general last year, Bondi pledged to keep politics out of the Justice Department. However, her tenure drew criticism from some observers who argued that the department pursued investigations into individuals viewed as opponents of Trump, raising questions about its independence from the White House.

Reports indicated that Trump had grown impatient with the pace of certain prosecutions against critics. In what appeared to be a message intended as private but shared on social media, he reportedly wrote: "We can't delay any longer — it's killing our reputation and credibility."

Under Bondi's leadership, the Justice Department initiated reviews and investigations involving several figures perceived as critics of the administration. Specific details on targets such as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey, or former CIA Director John Brennan have not been independently confirmed in public records, and some reported probes did not advance past preliminary stages or were declined by judges or grand juries.

A photo from last July showed Bondi with Trump at a White House cabinet meeting (AP: Evan Vucci).

Blanche, who will assume the acting role, praised Bondi on X for leading the department with "strength and conviction." He expressed gratitude for her leadership and friendship, thanking Trump for the opportunity. Blanche stated, "We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe."

Blanche previously served as a federal prosecutor and acted as Trump's defense attorney in federal cases brought during President Joe Biden's administration. He also played a key role in Trump's defense in the New York hush-money case.

Bondi's departure marks the second recent exit of a senior Trump administration official. In early March, Trump removed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem amid criticism of her handling of agency operations and immigration policy implementation.

Bondi had been scheduled to testify before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee, which voted to subpoena her weeks ago regarding the Epstein files. In early 2025, she stated that a purported Epstein client list was under review on her desk. Initial file releases that year included previously public material. The Justice Department and FBI later declared the Epstein case closed, determining no further disclosures were needed at the time.

This prompted widespread criticism, leading to the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed in November 2025 with overwhelming support (House: 427-1; Senate: unanimous). The law mandated the release of nearly all remaining files. The Justice Department complied, beginning disclosures in December 2025 and issuing multiple tranches through early 2026. The releases totaled roughly three million pages, though some lawmakers from both parties criticized certain redactions and instances where survivor identities were inadvertently disclosed due to technical errors, which the department later addressed and corrected.

A photo showed Bondi sworn in before a House Judiciary Committee hearing in February (Reuters: Kent Nishimura).

Reactions to Bondi's departure varied. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren stated, "Good riddance," adding, "Under Attorney-General Pam Bondi, the Department of Justice became a cesspool of corruption. Bondi will be remembered for blocking the release of the Epstein files [and] weaponising the DOJ to go after Trump's political opponents."

Senator Mark Warner, also a Democrat, said Bondi had "botched handling of the Epstein files" and "denied victims transparency and further undermined trust in our justice system." He added, "Americans deserve a Justice Department that is actually focused on delivering justice, not on serving a president's agenda of personal and political self-interest."

Trump's announcement post on Truth Social emphasized Bondi's contributions to public safety, while critics focused on the Epstein matter and perceived politicization of the department.

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