Donald Trump confirmed on April 2 that he has removed Pam Bondi from her role as Attorney General, and she will transition to a new job in the private sector, which he says will be announced in the near future. Trump has appointed Deputy Attorney General Tom Blanche to take over in an acting capacity.
Blanche is a former federal prosecutor who served as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer in multiple criminal cases, including the New York “hush money” trial involving payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, a federal election interference case in Washington D.C., and the mishandling of federal classified documents case in Florida.
According to Reuters, Trump had “reportedly grown frustrated with Bondi for not moving quickly enough to prosecute critics and adversaries who he wanted to face criminal charges.”
During her role, she received criticism for removing Justice Department employees who were involved in prosecutions against Trump, as well as being accused of covering up or mismanaging the release of records of the DOJ’s sex trafficking investigations into Epstein.
After Pam Bondi was appointed Attorney General last year, the Department of Justice began shutting down pending criminal cases at a record pace.
According to ProPublica, the Trump DOJ has dropped more than 23,000 criminal cases during its first six months. While the DOJ routinely drops cases for various reasons, ProPublica found that “the increase is not the result of inheriting a larger caseload or more referrals from law enforcement.”
According to memos sent to attorneys last year, the Trump DOJ stated it is “turning a new page on white-collar and corporate enforcement” and emphasizing the pursuit of drug cartels, undocumented immigrants, and institutions that promote “divisive DEI policies.”
Although Blanche will be taking over as acting Attorney General, several outlets report that Trump is considering EPA Director Lee Zeldin to replace Bondi.
