E-Paper
Pam Bondi firing row: Ex-AG begged Trump to not oust her; key Eric Swalwell link revealed in final conversation
Pam Bondi is gone. The 60-year-old was fired as the Attorney General on Thursday.
Pam Bondi is gone. The 60-year-old was fired as the Attorney General on Thursday, and is being replaced by Deputy AG Todd Blanche on an interim basis. President Donald Trump announced the decision on Truth Social, saying Bondi will transition into a private role. He did not reveal any other detail.
“Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year. Pam did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown in Crime across our Country, with Murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Read More: Pam Bondi new role explained: Trump hints at former AG's future in his admin; Todd Blanche reacts
“We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future, and our Deputy Attorney General, and a very talented and respected Legal Mind, Todd Blanche, will step in to serve as Acting Attorney General. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.
Pam Bondi ‘begged’ for her job
Meanwhile, it was reported that Bondi's exit as attorney general came after a dramatic confrontation with the president, with the former AG pleading to keep her job before ultimately being dismissed.
According to a senior administration source cited by the Daily Mail, Bondi attempted to convince Trump to reconsider during their final exchange just before the president's big speech on Iran. “She was unhappy and tried to change his mind,” the source said.
Read More: Why Trump fired Pam Bondi as Attorney General, spoke about getting rid of Tulsi Gabbard - Explained
Despite her efforts, Trump informed her she was fired and indicated that a public announcement would follow shortly.
Why was Pam Bondi fired? A key Eric Swalwell link
At the center of Trump’s frustration, The Daily Mail reported, was Bondi’s alleged involvement in a sensitive matter tied to Congressman Eric Swalwell. The president reportedly believed she had tipped off Swalwell about FBI plans to release documents related to his past interactions with an alleged Chinese spy.
“She's intervening in those matters. The White House wasn't pleased she was intervening due to her personal friendship with Swalwell,” the source added.
While the exact nature of Bondi’s involvement remains unclear, reports suggest the two shared a friendly relationship. Swalwell, however, had publicly criticized her tenure, particularly over her handling of threats made against him and his family.
Bondi’s time in office had already been under pressure for months. Her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files drew criticism from multiple quarters, with accusations of a lack of transparency further eroding confidence within parts of Trump’s base.
Even as speculation about her future intensified in Washington, Bondi continued to appear alongside Trump in public. She joined him at the Supreme Court for proceedings related to birthright citizenship and attended his primetime address on the Iran conflict just a day before her firing.
Behind the scenes, however, tensions had reportedly been building. Trump was said to be increasingly frustrated with what he viewed as her failure to aggressively pursue legal action against his political opponents.
Attention has now shifted to who could replace her. The Associated Press reported that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is among the leading contenders. “Let's hope it's Zeldin,” one former Trump administration official told the Daily Mail.
