President Donald Trump is reportedly considering firing U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in recent days but publicly praised her performance after the report surfaced, as congressional scrutiny over the Justice Department’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein case files intensifies, according to The New York Times.
Trump has floated Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin as a possible replacement but has not made a final decision, the Times reports.
Why It Matters
The deliberations over Bondi’s future intersect with mounting bipartisan pressure on the Justice Department to fully release materials related to the sex offender Epstein, placing the attorney general at the center of an escalating political and legal fight.
What To Know
Reacting to the report from the Times, the White House sent a comment to Newsweek from Trump, saying, “Attorney General Pam Bondi is a wonderful person and she is doing a good job.”
The Times reports that a spokesman for Bondi referred the outlet to Trump’s statement.
Trump considered firing Bondi amid frustration with her leadership and the department’s handling of the Epstein files, four people familiar with the talks told the Times.
Bondi’s allies highlighted photos of her traveling with the president on Wednesday to the Supreme Court as pushback against the firing speculation, per the Times.
The outlet also reports that Trump has complained about Bondi’s Justice Department not prosecuting his enemies and her communication deficiencies, citing people who have spoken to him recently.
Bondi faces a House Oversight Committee subpoena to testify on her department’s Epstein investigation, with her deposition set for April 14.
What People Are Saying
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, on X last month: “Releasing the Epstein files is not the end goal. Until we see investigations and arrests, our system of justice is not working.”
Trump, in a Christmas Day post on Truth Social: “Merry Christmas to all, including the many Sleazebags who loved Jeffrey Epstein, gave him bundles of money, went to his Island, attended his parties, and thought he was the greatest guy on earth, only to ‘drop him like a dog’ when things got too HOT, falsely claimed they had nothing to do with him, didn’t know him, said he was a disgusting person, and then blame, of course, President Donald J. Trump, who was actually the only one who did drop Epstein, and long before it became fashionable to do so.
“When their names get brought out in the ongoing Radical Left Witch Hunt (plus one lowlife ‘Republican,’ Massie!), and it is revealed that they are Democrats all, there will be a lot of explaining to do, much like there was when it was made public that the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax was a fictitious story – a total Scam -and had nothing to do with ‘TRUMP.’ The Failing New York Times, among many others, was forced to apologize for their bad and faulty Election ‘Reporting,’ even to the point of losing many subscribers due to their highly inaccurate (FAKE!) coverage. Now the same losers are at it again, only this time so many of their friends, mostly innocent, will be badly hurt and reputationally tarnished. But sadly, that’s the way it is in the World of Corrupt Democrat Politics!!! Enjoy what may be your last Merry Christmas! President Donald J. Trump.”
What To Know
It is immediately unclear if Bondi will publicly react to the report.
