Questions swirled in Washington after President Donald Trump abruptly removed a key member of his Cabinet, but the Justice Department’s new acting leader says speculation about the decision has missed the mark.
According to Fox News, U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche addressed the dismissal of Pam Bondi during an appearance on Thursday on Jesse Watters Primetime, rejecting claims that the move was tied to the handling of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
“I have never heard President Trump say that the attorney general was — that anything that happened to her — had anything to do with the Epstein files,” he told host Jesse Watters.
Bondi’s departure marks the second major Cabinet shift in about a month after Trump previously removed and reassigned Kristi Noem from her post leading the Department of Homeland Security on March 5.
Blanche also rejected another claim circulating in media reports — that Trump believed Bondi had warned Eric Swalwell about the FBI’s plans to release files tied to Christine Fang, a figure previously linked to the congressman.
“I would not believe that for a second — absolutely, positively not,” Blanche said.
Reports from The New York Times suggested Trump had grown frustrated with Bondi’s management of the Epstein-related material.
Blanche disputed that narrative as well, saying both he and Bondi had already handled the matter and that it should no longer be a central focus for the department.
“What happened when the president signed the Transparency Act is the Department of Justice has now released all the files with respect to the Epstein saga… Attorney General Bondi and I appeared in front of Congress voluntarily a couple weeks ago to answer any questions they had,” he said. “We have made every single congressman, senator available to come and see any document redacted, unredacted.”
Blanche added, “I think that to the extent that the Epstein files was a part of the past year of this Justice Department, it should not be a part of anything going forward.”
Trump confirmed Bondi’s removal in a post on Truth Social, describing her as a “Great American Patriot” and “loyal friend” and saying she would transition into work in the private sector.
Blanche also praised the former attorney general.
“We are a better Justice Department, we are safer as a nation, and we should all be very grateful to the attorney general for her sacrifice for this country and for what she did,” he said.
Trump announced that Blanche, whom he described as a “respected Legal Mind,” will step in periodically to perform the attorney general’s duties until a permanent replacement is selected.
Blanche said he was honored to serve in the role.
“The Department of Justice is working hard every day,” he said. “It was working hard yesterday, and we’re going to keep on working hard tomorrow, and I’m honored that President Trump has asked me to step in as acting [attorney general], and also much appreciative for what Pam Bondi did for the past year.”
Meanwhile, Lee Zeldin, who currently leads the Environmental Protection Agency, is reportedly being considered as a possible replacement.
