News reports claimed that Pam Bondi, the Attorney General of President Donald Trump, was fired on April 2, 2020, because she wasn’t effective in defending and prosecuting him or his political opponents.
The New York Times had reported that Trump was “disappointed” with Ms. Bondi’s handling the Jeffrey Epstein documents has been a liability to Mr.
Trump and his supporters. “He has complained of her communication shortcomings and expressed his frustration at what he perceives to be the Department of Justice’s inaction against his enemies.”
President Obama has said for years that the person who serves as Attorney General in his administration is to be viewed as his attorney, not as someone representing U.S. Government.
Trump, during his first term as president, was deeply disappointed by Jeff Sessions, the first Attorney General he appointed, for recusing himself from an investigation of alleged interference with the 2016 presidential election.
William Barr replaced Sessions, the first attorney general he appointed. Trump was not happy with Barr’s decision to abandon him when he refused to accept the election results for 2020.
After learning from his mistakes, Trump sought out a loyalist and political ally to lead the Justice Department during his second term.
Trump’s request is familiar to me as a law and political scholar and someone who wrote about the role the Attorney General. Presidents often appoint people with similar views to their own.
Trump’s actions are far from the norm.
Jeff Sessions was sworn-in as Attorney General before the House Judiciary Committee at Capitol Hill, on November 14, 2017. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Bondi’s Ascent
Matt Gaetz, a Florida congressman, was Trump’s top choice to be Attorney General during his second term. Gaetz was viewed by many commentators as an unreliable temperamental fit for the position. He was criticized for calling President Obama an “inspirational” leader in a patriotic and loving movement after the attack on Capitol Hill, Jan. 6, 2020.
Gaetz resigned in the face of increasing opposition, fueled by accusations of misconduct.
Trump approached Bondi just a few minutes later. Her professionalism was praised by all political parties for the time she served as Florida’s Attorney General.
Bipartisan former attorneys general from both parties wrote an open letter to attest to her “suitability for office”, her “rich prosecutorial background and dedication to the public service”
Bondi, according to PBS, was a “longtime Trump ally” and one of Trump’s lawyers in his first impeachment case, where he had been accused, but not found guilty, of abuse of power when he attempted to condition U.S. Military assistance to Ukraine upon that country conducting an investigation into then-former vice president Joe Biden.
Her loyalty was also shown by her attendance at Trump’s New York court trial over the payment of hush funds to Stormy Daniels who is a porn star.
Bondi had all the characteristics of an Attorney General at the time she was nominated.
Bondi had both the qualifications and confidence to run the DOJ.
The confirmation of the downfall
Bondi made a promise during her confirmation hearings to protect the Justice Department’s independence, and increase its transparency. Bondi also promised not to serve as President Obama’s personal lawyer.
In response to Sheldon Whitehouse’s question, the Rhode Island senator pledged that in 2025 “there won’t be an enemy list at the Department of Justice.”
She also demonstrated her willingness to engage in a spirited debate with Democrats within the Senate Judiciary Committee. By refusing to state that President Trump had lost the 2020 elections, she stuck to MAGA’s script. She also launched a fierce attack against the Biden Justice Department which, she said, had been weaponized “for years, years and more years.”
Todd Blanche, Deputy Attorney-General and Pam Bondi, Attorney-General of Washington State on 18 March 2026. Nathan Posner/Anadolu/Getty Images
Bondi was given the challenging task to lead the Justice Department and please the President. Bondi stood aside when Trump, as reported by The New York Times in an interview at the Justice Department, launched a ‘grieve-filled attack against the people that have worked there and other like them.
Bondi did not appear to have done enough for this version of justice.
Bondi was urged by Trump to act against Bondi’s political opponents, which included former FBI director James Comey and California Senator Adam Schiff, as well as New York Attorney-General Leticia James.
Trump wrote on Truth Social (his social media platform): “They are all as guilty as Hell, but nothing will be done.” He added, “We cannot delay anymore. It’s killing the reputation of our credibility.” They impeached and indicted (five times) me two more times. “They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!) over nothing.
JUSTICE IS NEEDED RIGHT NOW! !”
Bondi followed the orders of President Obama and began investigating those named by him.
She was unable to obtain any convictions. NBC News reported a former Trump White House official who stated that failure to obtain indictments was a “problem for the job security of the President.”
Trump also was reportedly upset with Bondi’s handling of the Epstein documents, initially promising full disclosure, but then mishandling the distribution of the Epstein dossiers.
The Attorney General’s Job: Conflicting Visions
Bondi’s tenure demonstrates the diverse visions that Americans have of an attorney general.
The Democrats’ questions during her confirmation process were meant to convince her of their opinion on what an attorney general is supposed to do. These questions showed that they believed that the attorney general should be independent and keep a distance from the President.
From the beginning of the Republic, Presidents chose close allies as Attorney General.
Presidents often appoint friends or supporters as attorneys general.
Many presidents, including Franklin D. Roosevelt have appointed their national party chairperson or campaign manager as attorney general since then.
Trump, and those who support him, have an entirely different view.
They see the Attorney General as a Cabinet member, whose job it is to implement the president’s policy and carry out his directives. Trump said in an interview with The New York Times that he had the “absolute rights” to run the Justice Department the way he wanted.
It seems, in the end that Bondi’s firing was due to her failure to perform well within the assigned political role. The president is most likely to want someone more politically minded to replace Bondi, and who can deliver the desired results.
