Epstein files top the list of AG Pam Bondi's biggest controversies

After a little more than a year on the job, Pam Bondi is no longer the nation's top law enforcement officer.

The former Florida attorney general and ally to President Donald Trump was U.S. attorney general for 14 months, and courted controversy and significant criticism during that time.

From launching investigations into the president's perceived enemies to overseeing the bungled release of millions of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, Bondi's tenure was marked by tumult.

Here's what to know about her biggest controversies.

Pam Bondi fired from DOJ amid reports of Trump rift

In a social media post on April 2, Trump praised Bondi as a "Great American Patriot and a loyal friend" and said she will move to a job in the private sector. 

But in recent days, multiple media outlets have reported the president souring on his attorney general, especially over her handling of the department's release of documents related to its sex trafficking investigations into Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender.

Bondi’s ouster marks the second time Trump has removed a Cabinet official in his second term. He fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March and replaced her with Markwayne Mullin, a former senator from Oklahoma.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the president's former personal lawyer, will lead the Justice Department in the interim.

Bondi's Epstein file controversies marred tenure

Bondi's tenure was embattled by accusations of mismanagement over her handling of the Epstein files. In recent months, several prominent lawmakers alleged she was involved in a cover-up regarding the investigations, further inflaming an issue that has proven to be a stubborn thorn in the side of the Trump administration.

The outgoing attorney general was among the loudest voices calling for transparency in the Epstein case before and shortly after becoming the country's top law enforcement officer, pledging to release DOJ information on the accused sex trafficker. But in the span of a few months, Bondi became the face of accusations of federal wrongdoing related to investigations into Epstein and a frequent target for conspiracy theories.

After Bondi refused to release the files in July 2025, reversing her previous promises, Congress voted nearly unanimously in a rare show of bipartisan agreement to require the DOJ to release the files to the public. The department failed to meet the deadline and released roughly 60% of the documents related to Epstein. Blanche said the remaining records name women who accused Epstein of abuse, could hurt potential prosecutions or are protected under legal privileges.

The Justice Department under Bondi also came under intense fire for not prosecuting any alleged co-conspirators of the accused sex trafficker. The only other person prosecuted so far has been Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges. The Department of Justice estimates the late money manager victimized more than 1,000 women and children.

Anger over the release came to a head during a raucous Feb. 11 oversight hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, marked by heated exchanges and outright yelling between Bondi and House Democrats. Lawmakers accused Bondi of forsaking victims of the sex offender in an effort to protect the president, who once had a friendship with Epstein, along with other powerful friends and allies of Trump. Bondi told lawmakers during the February hearing that investigations into possible co-conspirators are ongoing and vehemently denied accusations of a cover-up.

Republicans on the panel rushed to Bondi’s defense, but cracks in that support have grown wider, with some members of the GOP also expressing displeasure with her handling of the file release. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee had subpoenaed Bondi to testify on April 14 about the Epstein files.

Failed investigations into Trump's perceived Democratic foes

Bondi also faced criticism over the removal of dozens of career prosecutors who worked on investigations criticized by Trump, with critics accusing her of abandoning the DOJ’s traditional focus on even-handed justice.

Her handling of investigations into Trump's political foes also attracted controversy, plus a rare public urging from the president to speed up the inquiries.

Trump took to social media in September 2025 to publicly pressure Bondi to take legal action against New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California. But judges dismissed indictments against James and Comey, and grand juries refused to pursue new charges. Schiff hasn’t been charged.

Grand juries have also refused to indict suspects in investigations by Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia. One probe targeted six Democratic lawmakers for encouraging troops to disobey illegal orders.

Contributing: Reuters; Bart Jansen, USA TODAY.

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at[email protected] and on X @KathrynPlmr. Sign up for her daily politics newsletterhere.