Attorney General Pam Bondi begged Donald Trump not to fire her in an explosive showdown at the White House after he accused her of an unforgivable offense.
Trump fired Bondi on Thursday, the second cabinet casualty in less than a month, after months of controversy, including the botched handling of the Epstein files.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general until a permanent nominee is picked.
Trump informed her of the decision shortly before his prime-time Iran war address to the nation, a senior administration source told the Daily Mail.
Bondi responded by pleading for the President to give her more time in the role, but Trump remained firm that her time leading the agency was over, the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal.
‘She was unhappy and tried to change his mind,’ the source said.
However, the President told her she was fired and that an announcement would be made shortly. The announcement had been due to be made on Friday but has been rushed out after rampant media speculation erupted overnight.
Trump’s reasoning for the sudden dismissal comes in part because the President believes Bondi tipped off Eric Swalwell about the FBI‘s efforts to release investigative documents related to his relationship with an alleged Chinese spy.
Donald Trump is preparing to replace Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Daily Mail can reveal, after speaking to several sources familiar with his thinking
Fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi in the Oval Office with Trump
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche (right) is also raising his profile – appearing at CPAC last week, where he received a warm welcome from conservatives in the audience
The FBI was preparing a cache of documents on Swalwell’s relationship with Christine Fang.
‘She’s intervening in those matters. The White House wasn’t pleased she was intervening due to her personal friendship with Swalwell,’ the source added.
It is unclear why Bondi would have intervened, but it is believed that Bondi and Swalwell have a friendly relationship.
Swalwell has openly criticized her since she took the AG position after failing to prosecute multiple death threats against him and his family.
On Wednesday, Bondi traveled with Trump to the Supreme Court to watch proceedings for the birthright citizenship case and attended his primetime speech about the war in Iran.
But as the President’s Cabinet gathered to focus on Iran, rumors ricocheted through Washington about Bondi’s replacement.
She’s taken a lower media profile in recent weeks as the President privately excoriates her for failing to prosecute his political enemies who tried to throw him in jail and end his political career.
Bondi’s tenure was marred by her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, as the administration faced accusations of a lack of transparency.
Bondi’s tenure was marred by her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, as the administration faced accusations of a lack of transparency
Reports have circulated that Trump is considering tapping MAGA-aligned EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin as Bondi’s replacement
Reports have circulated that he is considering tapping MAGA-aligned EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin as her replacement.
‘Let’s hope it’s Zeldin,’ one former Trump administration official told the Daily Mail.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is also raising his profile – appearing at CPAC last week, where he received a warm welcome from conservatives in the audience.
He told the audience that he went to night school in Brooklyn – rather than an Ivy League – as he was a young father.
‘I married into New York, I am a New Yorker by marriage,’ joking that his wife ‘is unfortunately from New York.’
He denied being a Democrat, insisting that those rumors were a product of reporting from the New York Times.
He also joined more MAGA friendly podcasts such as the Ruthless podcast and Katie Miller’s podcast for lighthearted conversations about his work at the department.
Sources familiar with Blanche’s strategy say he is trying to warm up to the MAGA base, many of whom view him with suspicion as a reported Democrat from New York City.
Career lawyers in the Justice Department feel they have an ally with Blanche who understands their position torn the place apart.
Bondi speaking at a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on February 11
At one point, Bondi thought that Blanche was gunning for her job but they grew more aligned as he signaled he had no intentions of trying to oust her. But that might have changed, as Bondi is now on thin ice with the president.
Blanche has been trying to align himself with Trump’s top deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, vowing to pursue his agenda on immigration and has also been helping push forward Vice President JD Vance’s efforts to pursue fraud, a source familiar with his efforts told the Daily Mail.
Other potential candidates for attorney general include Ron DeSantis.
Some think the news reporting of Zeldin taking over is a red herring, perhaps a ploy to weaken Bondi by pro-Blanche forces.
MAGA faithful are skeptical of Blanche’s commitment to Trump’s agenda in the DOJ, but say he would be an improvement over Bondi.
‘Blanche is a problem, but Bondi is worse,’ one source told the Daily Mail.
Blanche allies would like to see him succeed Bondi and are working furiously to convince the president to choose him, even as his staff has raised a wall of silence as jockeying for the position continues.
Trump is also reportedly moving toward a wider cabinet purge, with aides said to have been polled on Director of Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard‘s future.
Gabbard is said to have enraged the President by refusing to condemn Joe Kent at a Capitol Hill hearing – the counter-terror official who resigned last month over the Iran war.
When asked about reports of Bondi’s imminent firing, the President did not issue a denial of the report.
‘Attorney General Pam Bondi is a wonderful person and she is doing a good job,’ Trump told Semafor on Thursday morning.
