Right-leaning political analyst Rogan O’Handley, social media content developer Chaya Raichik and conservative political pundit Liz Wheeler display binders with a front page labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1,” featuring Jack Posobiec at the White House, Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington.Evan Vucci/AP
President Donald Trump on Thursday relieved Pam Bondi of her duties as attorney general, bringing to a close a 14-month stretch characterized by numerous controversies, most notably her management of the Jeffrey Epstein documents.
Trump declared in a social media announcement that Bondi would be accepting a position in the private sector, and that her long-serving second-in-command at the Justice Department, Todd Blanche, would be the interim attorney general.
"Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a steadfast friend, who diligently served as my Attorney General over the past year," Trump expressed in the message. Prior to becoming a member of his Cabinet, Bondi had contributed to his personal legal team.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, along with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, delivers remarks during a press briefing at the Justice Department, November 19, 2025 in Washington.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
However, individuals familiar with the situation disclosed to ABC News that there was increasing discontent with Bondi's lack of accomplishment in prosecuting the president’s political rivals, as well as her handling of the Epstein documents.
While she made frequent appearances on Fox News during her initial months in office, she subsequently dramatically reduced her public engagements and rarely agreed to interviews with outlets other than pro-Trump commentators.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, during extensive Vanity Fair interviews the previous year, noted that Bondi "completely missed the mark" with her initial comments concerning the Epstein documents.
Here's a detailed examination of certain controversies surrounding Bondi’s tenure as attorney general.
Epstein binders and 'client roster'
Sources have referred to Bondi’s now well-known February 2025 visit to the White House, during which she distributed binders to pro-Trump social media personalities, containing previously disclosed records pertaining to Epstein, a convicted sex offender who committed suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking offenses.
In an interview with Fox News that same month, Bondi stated that she possessed an Epstein "client roster" situated on her desk "at this moment."
However, the Justice Department and FBI later published a memo stating that their assessment uncovered no proof that Epstein maintained a "client roster" of acquaintances whom he blackmailed or colluded with to victimize numerous women.
Bondi later asserted that she was alluding to the Epstein case records, and not an alleged client roster.
Conservative political commentator Rogan O’Handley, social media content creator Chaya Raichik and conservative political commentator Liz Wheeler hold up binders with a cover titled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1,” with Jack Posobiec at the White House, Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington.Evan Vucci/AP
The administration's handling of the Epstein documents during the prior summer triggered severe condemnation from the president's MAGA supporters.
Following the Justice Department's announcement that it would not release additional documents concerning Epstein, a bipartisan pair in Congress championed legislation to mandate their disclosure. This legislation was passed with overwhelming Republican backing, subsequent to President Donald Trump, whose identity appeared frequently in the documents, reversing his position and endorsing it.
When the Justice Department commenced the release of millions of documents earlier in the year, Bondi and other officials encountered criticism for neglecting to redact the identities of certain Epstein survivors.
Subsequently, the House Oversight committee the prior month — with Republican support — subpoenaed Bondi to participate in a deposition before the committee. She was compelled to sit for testimony in mid-April.
Heated hearings, 'demeaning notebook' on Democratic legislators
In contentious hearings on Capitol Hill, Bondi repeatedly evaded inquiries from Democrats concerning the Justice Department's management of the Epstein documents and other sensitive affairs.
She also seemingly possessed what critics characterized as a "demeaning notebook" with prearranged attacks against Democratic members.
Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal accused Bondi of "monitoring" her browsing history after Bondi, during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in February, presented a printout of a diagram featuring several documents from the Justice Department's unredacted Epstein documents that Jayapal consulted during her visit to the department.
"Monitoring us and spying on us and subsequently utilizing it in a 'demeaning notebook' binder against us, is completely unacceptable, and thus the process must be modified immediately," Jayapal informed ABC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Jay O'Brien at the time. "They are not permitted to retain our browsing histories. They are not permitted to spy on us, and that's what we're demanding."
Attorney General Pam Bondi holds a piece of paper labelled ‘Jayapal Pramila Search History’, in reference to Rep. Pramila Jayapal during an oversight of the Justice Department hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 11, 2026.Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
Attorney General Pam Bondi holds a piece of paper labelled “Jayapal Pramila Search History”, in reference to Rep. Pramila Jayapal during an oversight of the Justice Department hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 11, 2026.Kent Nishimura/Reuters
Subsequently, several House Democrats dispatched a letter to Bondi insisting that the Justice Department "immediately halt" tracking legislators’ examination of the unredacted documents. House Speaker Mike Johnson also voiced concerns regarding the Justice Department's monitoring of legislators' browsing history of the unredacted documents.
The Justice Department stated at the time that it "records all searches conducted on its systems to safeguard against the dissemination of victim information." The department furnished no justification for why Bondi possessed a printout of Jayapal's browsing history.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com