President Donald Trump has discussed removing Attorney General Pam Bondi from her position and replacing her with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, according to multiple sources familiar with the conversations. The discussions come amid mounting frustration within the White House over Bondi's handling of the Justice Department's Jeffrey Epstein files and the pace of prosecutions against Trump's political opponents.
Trump's consideration of a potential shake-up at the Justice Department represents a significant development just weeks after Bondi was sworn in as the nation's top law enforcement official. Sources tell multiple news outlets that the president has grown increasingly frustrated with Bondi's performance, particularly regarding the department's handling of sensitive investigations.
According to ABC News, Trump has raised the possibility of removing Bondi in recent discussions with senior administration officials, with conversations advancing to consider whether she could be replaced by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin or Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The idea of replacing Bondi with Zeldin first emerged in January but subsided as Epstein coverage faded from the news cycle, CNN reports. However, word that Trump wanted to make the switch began circulating again in the West Wing on Monday, according to sources.
Trump's frustrations extend beyond the Epstein files. Sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News that the president has repeatedly vented about both the pace and effectiveness of the Justice Department's ability to target his perceived political enemies—concerns he has conveyed directly to Bondi.
Congressional Performance Draws Criticism
Bondi's February appearance before the House Judiciary Committee also drew criticism within the White House, sources say. During the hearing, she repeatedly yelled at lawmakers and sidestepped questions about the DOJ's handling of the Epstein files and other sensitive matters. Despite the internal criticism, Trump publicly supported Bondi afterward, calling her performance "fantastic" in a social media post.
The attorney general faces additional scrutiny with a scheduled deposition later this month on Capitol Hill related to the congressional investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex trafficker.
From her first days in office, Bondi emphasized personal loyalty to Trump and echoed his longstanding grievances with the DOJ and FBI, which the president has accused of being "weaponized" against him. She has aggressively sought to reshape the Justice Department as an enforcer of Trump's agenda, repeatedly breaking with institutional norms that encouraged independence from White House political demands.
White House Pushback
In response to reports about his consideration of firing Bondi, Trump issued a statement Wednesday saying, "Attorney General Pam Bondi is a wonderful person and she is doing a good job." The statement, provided by the White House, appears designed to quell speculation about her future.
A source familiar with the matter told CNN that Trump and Bondi have spoken repeatedly in recent days, describing the discussions as "business as usual." The New York Times reports that Trump has not made a final decision about Bondi's fate.
During Trump's first term, he faced significant resistance from top DOJ and FBI officials against using their agencies' powers to pursue his perceived enemies. Bondi, however, publicly embraced Trump's demands to launch prosecutions against specific targets, though with mixed results according to sources.
Any removal of Bondi would likely create alarm among critics who have accused the Trump administration of weaponizing the Justice Department. It would also raise questions about whether the president plans to install a replacement who will be even more aggressive in pursuing his political opponents.
The potential shake-up comes as Trump continues to reshape his administration's approach to law enforcement, with Bondi having already moved to align the Justice Department more closely with the president's political agenda than her predecessors.