The Latest: Trump says Pam Bondi out as his attorney general, Blanche will serve as acting AG

President Donald Trump said Thursday is .

Trump named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as the acting attorney general, though three people familiar with the matter have said he has privately discussed Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, as a permanent pick.

It marks the end of a contentious tenure of a loyalist who upended the Justice Department鈥檚 culture of independence from the White House, oversaw large-scale firings of career employees and moved aggressively to investigate the Republican president鈥檚 perceived enemies.

Here is the latest:

It鈥檚 quiet outside Bondi鈥檚 home in South Tampa

The house sat silently in the upscale neighborhood on the cloudy but warm afternoon.

A breeze shifted an American flag that extended above the hedge surrounding the yard. There wasn鈥檛 other movement seen at the home or swarms of television crews vying for a view inside.

Black suburban鈥檚 lined the street, and the local police department drove past a few times.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna joins Massie in call for the next attorney general to release all Epstein files

The red and blue duo, Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, have mounted a pressure campaign on the Justice Department to release all the Epstein files.

Both are carrying that forward to whomever replaces Bondi, and are calling on the department to launch investigations based on the files.

鈥淣ow, we need to fight to make sure that another lawless sycophant doesn鈥檛 replace Bondi,鈥� said Khanna in a video posted to X Thursday. 鈥淲hoever replaces Bondi should release all of the Epstein files and prosecute the rich and powerful men who abuse young girls.鈥�

Bondi struggled to overcome fumbling the Epstein files

Bondi struggled to overcome early stumbles over the Epstein files that angered conservatives eager for government bombshells about the case.

She also had fed the conspiracy theory machine with a suggestion in a 2025 Fox 海角社区app Channel interview that Epstein鈥檚鈥渃lient list鈥� was sitting on her desk for review. The department later acknowledged that no such document exists.

Bondi was ridiculed over a move to hand out to conservative influencers at the White House only for it to be later revealed that the documents included no new revelations. Despite promises that more files were going to become public, the Justice Department in July said no more would be released, prompting Congress to pass a bill to force the agency to do so.

The Justice Department鈥檚 release of millions of pages of Epstein files did little to tamp down criticism, prompting a House committee to to answer questions under oath.

To some Epstein victims, the problem is bigger than Bondi

鈥淭his is not about a single person; it is about a government and judicial system that has repeatedly failed Epstein survivors,鈥� one of Epstein鈥檚 earliest accusers, Annie Farmer, said in a statement.

鈥淩egardless of who holds power, survivors deserve accountability, transparency, protection from retaliation, and assurance that those who enabled Epstein, Maxwell, and others will be investigated and, if appropriate, prosecuted,鈥� Farmer said.

Robert Glassman, an attorney for a woman who in the 2021 criminal trial of Epstein confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, noted that leaders of government agencies change.

鈥淏ut for victims of sexual abuse, what matters is whether the institutions meant to protect them actually do their job,鈥� Glassman said by email.

Epstein victims鈥� attorney says Bondi鈥檚 departure might be the only justice they get

Gloria Allred, an attorney for numerous Epstein victims, called Bondi鈥檚 departure 鈥渓ong overdue,鈥� saying the now-departing attorney general betrayed them by failing to protect personal information in the files.

鈥淪he has destroyed the trust in the DOJ that victims had a right to expect, and her termination may be the only type of justice that survivors will receive from the DOJ,鈥� Allred said by email.

One Epstein victim鈥檚 view: Bondi had an 鈥榦pportunity to be a hero .., and she chose not to鈥�

Jess Michaels, an Epstein survivor who to press for the files鈥� release, wanted Bondi gone, but she wasn鈥檛 optimistic about what comes next at DOJ.

鈥淚鈥檓 happy that she is not in charge of this investigation anymore because she obviously failed. Do I think that the next person put in charge, Todd Blanche, is going to do any better? We can only hope. But given that they worked together, I don鈥檛 have great expectations,鈥� Michaels said.

When Bondi became attorney general and pledged transparency, Michaels thought, 鈥淲ell, maybe a woman stepping into this role will finally finally get the truth,鈥� she recalled.

But once Bondi distributed now-infamous that proved to be largely rehashes of already public material, Michaels lost faith. Her mistrust was amplified by the DOJ鈥檚 of the eventual release of a trove of documents.

鈥淚 think she had this opportunity to be a hero and to really do right by survivors of sexual violence and trafficking, and she chose not to,鈥� Michaels said by phone. 鈥淚t is outrageous, the volume of miscalculation she has made.鈥�

Who is Lee Zeldin, the head of the EPA and Trump鈥檚 rumored pick to replace Bondi as attorney general?

Trump picked Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to be acting attorney general, but three people familiar with the matter have said he has as Bondi鈥檚 permanent replacement.

Zeldin, before Trump tapped him to lead the environmental agency, was a Republican congressman from New York. A staunch ally of the president, he worked on Trump鈥檚 defense team during his first impeachment and voted against certifying Trump鈥檚 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden.

Under his leadership, the EPA has and proposed including of drinking water contaminates.

Louisiana Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields troubled by Bondi鈥檚 firing

Fields said Pam Bondi鈥檚 firing was 鈥渄eeply troubling 鈥� not because of who is leaving, but because of why.鈥�

Fields said in a statement that he has been critical of Bondi鈥檚 handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files but 鈥渉ere is what should alarm every American: reports indicate that Trump鈥檚 frustration stemmed not from Bondi鈥檚 failure to uphold the law 鈥� but from his belief that she didn鈥檛 weaponize the Justice Department aggressively enough against his political enemies.鈥�

He said politically motivated cases against former FBI-Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James had been thrown out.

鈥淭he Justice Department is not the President鈥檚 personal law firm and shouldn鈥檛 be used as a tool for retribution.鈥� Fields said the issues of the files and the independence of the department should be addressed before anyone else is confirmed.

GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, who hounded the DOJ over the Epstein files, says he supports Bondi鈥檚 ousting

The Kentucky Republican previously broke with his party to push legislation forcing the release of the Epstein files, and accused Bondi on X in January of making 鈥渋llegal redactions and withholding key documents.鈥�

On Thursday, Massie said on X that he supported Trump鈥檚 decision, adding that 鈥淚 hope the next AG will release all the Epstein files according to the law and follow up with investigations, prosecutions, and arrests.鈥�

Bondi says she is 鈥榯hrilled鈥� about new private sector role, expresses support for Trump

Bondi released a statement Thursday, which read:

鈥淥ver the next month I will be working tirelessly to transition the office of Attorney General to the amazing Todd Blanche before moving to an important private sector role I am thrilled about, and where I will continue fighting for President Trump and this Administration.

Leading President Trump鈥檚 historic and highly successful efforts to make America safer and more secure has been the honor of a lifetime, and easily the most consequential first year of the Department of Justice in American history.

Since February 2025, we have secured the lowest murder rate in 125 years, secured first-ever terrorism convictions against members of Antifa, shattered domestic and transnational gangs across the country, taken custody of more than 90 key cartel figures, and won 24 favorable rulings at the Supreme Court.

I remain eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again.鈥�

Democrats applaud Bondi firing, but say it won鈥檛 reform DOJ

Democrats in Congress were celebrating the firing of the attorney general, whose appearance on Capitol Hill often featured bitter exchanges with Democratic lawmakers. But they also said that new leadership alone would not be enough to halt the Trump administration鈥檚 efforts to remake the Department of Justice to do his bidding.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement that under Bondi鈥檚 leadership, the Justice Department 鈥渉as lost centuries of professional experience, willfully violated federal law and judicial orders alike鈥� and added that her firing is 鈥渘ot enough to restore the credibility of the Justice Department.鈥�

Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that Bondi鈥檚鈥渓egacy will be the weaponization of the world鈥檚 preeminent law enforcement agency for Donald Trump鈥檚 personal benefit, but apparently even she didn鈥檛 go far enough to appease him.鈥�

Sen. Chuck Grassley said Judiciary Committee is ready to advance new Trump nominee

The Republican had only nice things to say about Bondi in an emailed statement, noting a drop in violent crime during her tenure and her Justice Department鈥檚 responsiveness to congressional oversight requests.

鈥淭he Judiciary Committee stands ready to advance President Trump鈥檚 next Attorney General nominee,鈥� Grassley said.

Will Pam Bondi still face a congressional subpoena?

The attorney general was facing a subpoena to appear before the House Oversight Committee on April 14 as lawmakers look into how the Department of Justice handled the release of the case files on Jeffrey Epstein.

The chair of the committee, Rep. James Comer, said in a statement that he would survey Republicans on the committee on whether they still wanted to enforce the subpoena.

Democrats quickly called on the committee to follow through on the subpoena. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, said in a statement that Bondi 鈥渨ill not escape accountability and remains legally obligated to appear before our Committee under oath.鈥�

Mace still expects Bondi to appear for April 14 deposition over the release of the Epstein files

Bondi was to appear before the Republican-led Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and face questions over the Justice Department鈥檚 sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and release of the related files.

Mace, who sits on the committee, said in a statement Thursday that Bondi 鈥渨ill be appearing鈥� in two weeks because the 鈥淒OJ still hasn鈥檛 complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.鈥�

Bondi鈥檚 public embrace of the president marked a sharp departure from her predecessors

Past attorney generals generally took pains to maintain an arm鈥檚-length distance from the White House to protect the impartiality of investigations and prosecutions.

But Bondi postured herself as , praising and defending him in congressional hearings and placing a banner with his face on the exterior of Justice Department headquarters.

She called for an end to the 鈥渨eaponization鈥� of law enforcement that she said occurred under the Biden administration, though her critics said she was the one who had politicized the agency to do the president鈥檚 bidding.

Bondi鈥檚 ousting follows a turbulent release of the Epstein files

The Justice Department鈥檚 review and release of Epstein files frustrated members of Congress, who accused the department of hiding certain documents, over-redacting files and, in other cases, failing to redact sensitive information about the victims.

The department denied that it redacted documents in order to protect people and that it improperly withheld certain material. Still, it caused a series of headaches for the Trump administration.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche thanks Trump and compliments Bondi

鈥淭hank you to President Trump for the trust and the opportunity to serve as Acting Attorney General,鈥� Blanche wrote in a post on X, after saying that Bondi led the department with 鈥渟trength and conviction.鈥�

鈥淲e will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe,鈥� Blanche said.

Trump said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will become the acting head of the Justice Department, who is he?

Blanche is a former federal prosecutor who worked as Trump鈥檚 criminal defense attorney in two cases brought by the department under President Joe Biden鈥檚 administration.

He was also a key figure on the president鈥檚 defense team in the hush money case against Trump in New York.

Blanche became second in command behind Bondi at the Justice Department last year.

Trump says Attorney General Pam Bondi will leave the Department of Justice

鈥淲e love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector,鈥� Trump said in a post on Truth Social, after saying she鈥檚 been a 鈥渓oyal friend.鈥�

Trump said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general.

Rep. Mace welcomes Bondi鈥檚 ousting

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, in response to earlier reports that President Donald Trump was considering ousting Attorney General Pam Bondi, said in a statement Thursday: 鈥淚 welcome it.鈥�

鈥淏ondi handled the Epstein Files in a terrible manner and seriously undermined President Trump,鈥� said Mace in the statement, whose long been critical of the justice department over the release and review of the Jefferey Epstein files.

Trump says Pam Bondi, a loyalist who oversaw Justice Department upheaval, is out as attorney general

President Donald Trump said Thursday that is out as his attorney general, ending the contentious tenure of a loyalist who upended the Justice Department鈥檚 culture of independence from the White House, oversaw large-scale firings of career employees and moved aggressively to investigate the Republican president鈥檚 perceived enemies.

The announcement follows months of scrutiny over the Justice Department鈥檚 handling of that made Bondi the target of angry conservatives even with her close relationship with Trump. She also struggled to satisfy Trump鈥檚 demands to prosecute his political rivals, with multiple investigations rejected by judges or grand juries.

The former Florida attorney general last year pledging that she would not play politics with the Justice Department, but she quickly started investigations of Trump foes, sparking an outcry that the law enforcement agency was being wielded as a tool of revenge to advance the president鈥檚 political and personal agenda.

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