President Donald Trump has reportedly expressed significant frustration with his Attorney General, Pam Bondi, over the faltering progress of several high-profile prosecutions and her management of the Jeffrey Epstein case files.
Internal Tensions Over Key Prosecutions
According to a Monday report from The Wall Street Journal, the President's grievances centre on Bondi's perceived failure to successfully prosecute his long-standing political adversaries. These notably include former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Cases against both Comey and James were dismissed by a judge in November. The ruling cited the improper installation of Lindsey Halligan, a former personal attorney to Trump whom the President had named as acting US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Trump has continued to push for these cases to proceed. The Journal further indicated that the President has suggested to allies the appointment of special counsels within the Justice Department to accelerate its work on his agenda.
The Epstein Files Controversy
A major point of contention is Bondi's handling of the Epstein files, which has provided a steady stream of political complications since Trump returned to office. In a Vanity Fair interview last month, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles stated that Bondi had "whiffed" on the issue.
Wiles criticised Bondi for distributing binders of already-public documents to influencers in February, teasing new information that did not materialise. "First she gave them binders full of nothingness. And then she said that the witness list, or the client list, was on her desk," Wiles said. "There is no client list, and it sure as well wasn't on her desk."
Longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon told the Journal that Bondi is "bleeding support," disappointing both the President and his most loyal supporters. "Folks are desperate for action and just haven’t seen it," Bannon said, referencing the base's desire for investigations into the 2020 election and the 2016 Russia probe.
White House Defence and Historical Precedent
Despite the private criticisms, the White House mounted a swift public defence of the Attorney General. Statements of support were provided to the Daily Mail from Trump, Vice President, Susie Wiles, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In his statement, Trump said, "Pam is doing an excellent job. She has been my friend for many years. Tremendous progress is being made against radical left lunatics." Rubio, Wiles, and Bondi all share a background in Florida politics.
This situation echoes Trump's first term, where he grew to dislike both of his Attorneys General. He fired Jeff Sessions after Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation, and he split with Bill Barr after Barr publicly stated there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
The Journal reports that Trump's complaints form part of an intense campaign to pressure the Department of Justice, which is meant to maintain independence from the White House, to more aggressively pursue his political objectives.
