Pam Bondi became emotional after Donald Trump fired her as the nation’s top prosecutor, and pleaded to be allowed to stay on until at least the summer, according to a report.
The president, 79, informed Bondi, 60, that her days as attorney general were over during their car ride to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, before firing her via a social media post on Thursday.
Bondi served in the position for 14 months, marking the shortest tenure for a confirmed attorney general since 1975. She later asked to stay on until the summer, but Trump declined.
Bondi hadn’t expected Trump to give her the boot so soon, The New York Times reported, citing four people familiar with the matter. She ultimately failed to convince Trump to let her keep her job or at least hold on to the position for a few months to give herself a “graceful exit.”
After she realized Trump was terminating her, she “grew emotional” when speaking with colleagues and friends, according to the Times.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Trump announced Bondi’s firing in a Truth Social post on Thursday, saying she will be “transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector,” without elaborating. Bondi’s deputy, Todd Blanche, was stepping in to serve as acting attorney general, the president said.
Since returning to the White House for a second term last January, Trump has been on a personal revenge tour against high-profile foes, pressuring Bondi to target his political enemies.
According to the Times, Bondi fell far short of his expectations, and he was furious about her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the DOJ’s failure to mount legal cases against his critics, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“Her critics were in the president’s ear,” the newspaper reported.
Bondi said she was “thrilled” to be transitioning to the private sector.
“Over the next month I will be working tirelessly to transition the office of Attorney General to the amazing Todd Blanche before moving to an important private sector role I am thrilled about, and where I will continue fighting for President Trump and this Administration,” she wrote on X.
“I remain eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again,” she added.
