Democrats are celebrating the ouster of Attorney General Pam Bondi as overdue, while warning her firing won’t fix what they say is a Justice Department corrupted by President Donald Trump.
Bondi is the second Cabinet member to be removed by Trump, as her firing came almost one month after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was removed from her post.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called Bondi’s tenure as attorney general a “disgraceful affront to our Constitution,” and accused her of weaponizing the DOJ and taxpayer money to target Trump’s political opponents.
“This long-overdue firing is not enough to restore the credibility of the Justice Department or fix this rotten, out-of-control administration,” Jeffries said in a statement. “House Democrats will hold every political extremist involved in unprecedented abuses of power accountable for their lawlessness.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told Bondi “good riddance” in a post on X.
“Pam Bondi was the wrong choice from the start,” Schumer wrote. “But the rot at the Department of Justice begins and ends with Donald Trump. As long as his focus is on using DOJ as a tool for revenge and not law enforcement, the cover up of the Epstein files, along with the countless other problems at DOJ, will continue.”
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said that Bondi’s handling of the files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was a “failure that denied victims transparency and further undermined trust in our justice system.” Kelly echoed Schumer’s sentiment that Trump has utilized the DOJ as a “political weapon.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said that Bondi’s tenure “will be remembered as a profound betrayal not only of the Department of Justice but of the American people the department exists to serve.”
In his statement announcing that Bondi would no longer be serving as his attorney general, Trump did not air any grievances, calling her a “Great American Patriot and a loyal friend.”
Trump went on to say that Bondi will be moving to a job in the private sector, and that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche would be stepping in as acting attorney general.
But while Trump spoke highly of Bondi, reports have circulated that the president was frustrated with her performance, particularly over her handling of the Epstein files and a perceived lack of aggression in carrying out his administration’s agenda.
The release of the Epstein files has been a thorn in Trump’s side throughout his second term. On Capitol Hill, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) led a successful effort to force the release of the files, with all Democrats and three other Republicans signing onto a discharge petition to force House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to bring it to the floor.
The House passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025. Since then, the DOJ has published millions of documents as a result of the legislation.
TRUMP FIRES ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI
Some Democrats who supported releasing the files even took credit for the firing.
“Thanks to immense pressure and our organizing, Pam Bondi has been fired,” said Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), who had filed articles of impeachment against Bondi in March.