In some ways, President Donald J. Trump’s firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi should not have come as a surprise, especially after the president criticized her for failing to prosecute his political opponents in his Truth Social post last September. He told her she was “all talk, no action” and stated that her inaction was “undermining our reputation and credibility.”
Whether that message was intended privately or publicly, it is clear that the president was very dissatisfied with the attorney general. And this was on top of her disastrous handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and the release of government files on him.
The coming months will be interesting. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche could lead the Justice Department for 210 days. That means he can remain in this post until the end of November, after the midterm elections. That would save the White House from a confirmation battle in the middle of the election.
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Perhaps, after pulling the plug by firing Bondi, the president will want to elevate Blanche. Can Senate Republicans get him through confirmation hearings before the August break?
Senate Democrats could be counted on to grill him on the two issues on which Trump was unhappy with Attorney General Bondi, namely the Epstein files and the pursuit of the president’s enemies list. How effective will the Democrats be in tackling Blanche? And since he will likely be confirmed by the 53 Republicans in the Senate, will the issues raised during the confirmation hearing help Democrats in the meantime?
Todd Blanche will serve as interim US Attorney General following President Trump’s firing of Pam Bondi. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
Then there is also talk that the president may be leaning toward Environmental Protection Agency administrator and former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin as the next attorney general. Zeldin is loved by his former colleagues in the House of Representatives, who may not vote on his nomination but would be a supportive chorus for him. The Democrats would still bombard him with Epstein and the possible prosecution of the president’s enemies.
None of these questions are going away, especially since Bondi has scheduled testimony before the House Oversight Committee on April 14.
The Republican chair may find it impossible to cancel her appearance now, as Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., led the effort to subpoena Bondi. She was joined by three other Republicans on the committee who voted with all of the committee’s Democrats to force Ms. Bondi to appear.
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Yes, we shouldn’t be surprised that the president dumped his attorney general. But her resignation does not end the problems that led to her removal. It has only expanded the cast of political players who will now have to answer tough questions about the same issues.
Grab your popcorn. Pam Bondi’s firing was just one episode.
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The next act of this drama is about to begin.
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