Trump Says Bondi Out, Blanche Stepping In

Attorney General Pam Bondi is leaving after a tumultuous tenure and some high-profile stumbles in her efforts to carry out President Donald Trump’s agenda Trump announced in a social media post Bondi would move to “a much needed and important job in the private sector” and her deputy, Todd Blanche, will be acting attorney general. Trump called Bondi “a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend” and applauded her work to drive down crime. He said her next position will be “announced at a date in the near future.” Jason Leopold, BN Senior Investigative Reporter & FOIA Files newsletter Author joins to discuss. President Donald Trump’s decision to remove Pam Bondi as attorney general delivers a new disruption to an already embattled US Justice Department as it works to advance the administration’s policy goals and sometimes controversial prosecutions.

Trump announced Thursday that he’d ousted Bondi as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer following several high-profile stumbles in her efforts to carry out his agenda. He had expressed frustration with her lack of progress in prosecutions that he had demanded against his adversaries, while her handling of files related to cases involving the late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein generated a rare bipartisan uproar.

Trump picked Bondi’s deputy, Todd Blanche, to take over as acting attorney general. He’s expected to serve until a new nominee by Trump is confirmed by the Senate. While Blanche is viewed as a steady hand at the department, the agency will still be facing uncertainty as Trump moves to find a permanent replacement for Bondi. The president has discussed naming Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to the position, according to people familiar with the matter.

Trump is contemplating more cabinet chan At the Justice Department, Dave Aronberg, former state attorney for Florida’s Palm Beach County Florida, said during an interview on Bloomberg’s Balance of Power that whoever takes over for Bondi will meet the same fate, because the president has unrealistic expectations.

“Donald Trump expects that he can push a button and then have his enemies prosecuted,” Aronberg said, “but it’s not so easy.”

Aronberg said that while Trump may prefer an attorney general more in the mold of the late prosecutor and political fixer, Roy Cohn, the failed nomination of Matt Gaetz as attorney general suggests that kind of pick isn’t politically viable.

“Anyone who can get confirmed through the Senate is not going to be the type of attorney general that he’s going to want,” Aronberg said.

The initial challenges for Blanche will be to manage any personnel changes following Bondi’s departure, respond to ongoing controversies and develop closer relationships with key White House aides and other cabinet officials, according to former Justice Department officials interviewed for this story.

Read More: Trump Ousts Bondi After Chaotic Tenure at DOJ

In choosing Blanche, Trump elevated yet another one of his former defense lawyers to be the top US law enforcer. Blanche served as Trump’s defense attorney in criminal cases relating to the 2020 election, his handling of classified documents and alleged hush-money payments.

Blanche had already begun to take a leading role to put the department on steadier footing in recent months after the first year of Trump’s second term, which saw dramatic policy changes, major public controversies and the departure of thousands of experienced prosecutors who were either fired or resigned.

Blanche played a pivotal role in helping Trump and the administration manage the Epstein fallout. He personally met with Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. He interviewed her in prison in July during a deposition in which she said she never saw Trump do anything “inappropriate.” Maxwell was subsequently moved to a lower-security federal prison camp in Texas.

He refuted the idea that Bondi’s handling of the Epstein files was connected to her departure from the Justice Department’s top job.

--------

Watch Bloomberg Radio LIVE on YouTube

Weekdays 7am-6pm ET

Follow us on X

Subscribe to our Podcasts:

Bloomberg Daybreak

Bloomberg Surveillance

Bloomberg Intelligence

Balance of Power

Bloomberg Businessweek

Listen on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app:

Apple CarPlay

Android Auto

Visit our YouTube channels:

Bloomberg Podcasts

Bloomberg Television

Bloomberg Originals