Trump purge deepens: Attorney General Pam Bondi fired amid growing chaos in the administration

US President Donald Trump dismissed Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday amid mounting frustration over her performance, particularly the handling of files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in a move that comes as the administration faces growing scrutiny over its war with Iran.

According to sources, Trump was also dissatisfied with Bondi’s failure to move more swiftly in pursuing criminal cases against political critics and adversaries.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former personal lawyer to Trump, will serve as acting head of the Department of Justice, the president said in a social media post.

Trump described Bondi as a “great American patriot and a loyal friend” who had overseen a “significant crackdown on crime”, adding that she would move to the private sector. Todd Blanche said the department would continue to support law enforcement and uphold the rule of law.

For European policymakers, the convergence of the Epstein controversy and the Iran conflict is likely to reinforce concerns about the increasing overlap between domestic political dynamics and US foreign policy decision-making, at a sensitive moment for transatlantic relations.

Bondi’s dismissal could signal a shift in strategy at the Justice Department, potentially including a more aggressive use of legal tools against political opponents. She is the second senior official to be removed in recent weeks, following the dismissal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on 5 March.

Bondi’s tenure had already drawn scrutiny among legal experts for weakening the Justice Department’s longstanding tradition of independence from the White House. However, persistent criticism over the handling of the Epstein files, including from Trump allies and several Republican lawmakers, ultimately came to define her time in office.

She has faced accusations of mismanaging or obscuring the release of records linked to the Department of Justice’s sex-trafficking investigations into Epstein, a financier with ties to powerful political and business figures.

Trump informed Bondi during a White House meeting on Wednesday that he intended to replace her, according to a Reuters source familiar with the matter.

A senior White House official told Reuters that Trump had repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with her performance in recent months and had considered potential replacements, including Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin.

Bondi spent much of Wednesday alongside Trump, including a visit to the US Supreme Court, where Solicitor General D. John Sauer was questioned by justices over the administration’s attempt to limit birthright citizenship.

The Epstein files have posed political challenges for Trump and renewed scrutiny of his past association with Epstein, which he has said ended decades ago.

The controversy has increasingly overlapped with domestic debate surrounding the US military campaign against Iran, with critics suggesting the conflict has shifted public attention away from the Epstein files. Some US political figures and commentators have gone as far as dubbing the conflict the “Epstein War”, reflecting a growing perception that foreign policy and domestic political pressures are becoming intertwined.

While the White House has rejected such claims, polling has indicated that a significant share of US voters see at least a partial link between the Iran war and the handling of the Epstein case.

A former Republican attorney general in Florida, Bondi had prioritised violent crime and sought to rebuild trust with Trump’s political base after federal prosecutors brought criminal cases against him during his time out of office.

Her tenure was also marked by controversy over the removal of career prosecutors involved in investigations opposed by Trump, prompting accusations that she had undermined the department’s commitment to impartial justice.

Bondi defended the release of the Epstein files, arguing that the administration had been more transparent than its predecessors, despite criticism over redactions and the handling of sensitive material, including information related to victims.

The issue escalated politically, leading to bipartisan legislation requiring broader disclosure of the files. The eventual release of around three million pages failed to quell criticism, with lawmakers pointing to redactions and the exposure of some victim identities.

Bondi is scheduled to testify before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee on 14 April, in what could become a further flashpoint in an already polarised debate.

The department did not give a reason for George’s departure, which comes as the U.S. military builds up its forces in the Middle East while carrying out operations against Iran. Thousands of soldiers from the U.S. Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division have also started arriving in the Middle East, potentially for ground operations in Iran.

With Reuters, edited by k.n.

Caption: US President Donald Trump (L) and US Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) during a roundtable with the Homeland Security Task Force in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 23 October 2025. EPA/WILL OLIVE