Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general for now, Trump said. One possible successor is Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and a close political ally of the President.
The move follows days of private deliberations and a tense, direct conversation between Trump and Bondi in which he indicated she would soon be replaced, according to multiple reports. At the center of his frustration was Bondi’s handling of the Justice Department’s review of materials related to Jeffrey Epstein. Her public statements about the existence of a so-called client list fueled criticism among Trump’s allies, who believed the issue had become a political liability and raised questions about transparency.
Trump, who has long viewed legal battles as central to his political agenda, had previously expressed frustration with what he viewed as a lack of aggressiveness in Bondi’s Department of Justice pursuing investigations and prosecutions of his political opponents. He had pressed for action in cases involving figures such as former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, but efforts to bring charges faltered. In some instances, indictments were dismissed over procedural issues, deepening the President’s frustration with the department’s performance.
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