A handful of Republicans who worked with her closely over the years praised her on Thursday.
“Pam Bondi led this Department with strength and conviction and I’m grateful for her leadership and friendship,” Blanche wrote on X. “We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe.”
Others quickly celebrated her departure.
Among them was Kentucky lawmaker Thomas Massie, a regular critic of Bondi’s handling of the Epstein files.
“I hope the next AG will release all the Epstein files according to the law and follow up with investigations, prosecutions and arrests,” he wrote on X.
California Democrat Ro Khanna – who worked with Massie on the bipartisan law to compel the release of the files – posted that the Senate “must fight to make sure Bondi is not replaced with another lawless sycophant”.
Another Republican critic of Bondi’s, South Carolina representative Nancy Mace, accused her of having “stonewalled every effort to hold the guilty accountable” and “seriously undermined” Trump with her handling of the files.
Survivors also told the BBC that Bondi had yet to meet them or respond to their emails about Epstein’s wrongdoing, and that the matter had become a political liability for Trump.
Bondi has called Epstein a “monster” and told the victims she was sorry for the abuse they endured.
Most recently, a congressional committee formally summoned Bondi to answer questions over her handling of the Epstein investigation. She was expected to appear before them this month.
Under her leadership, the justice department has pursued a number of criminal investigations into political opponents of the president, including California Senator Adam Schiff, New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
In September, Trump pushed Bondi to more aggressively investigate his political adversaries. He said in a social media post addressed directly to Bondi: “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility.”
The justice department under her tenure faced questions over its handling of the investigation into federal immigration agents fatally shooting two people during confrontations in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which sparked nationwide demonstrations in January.
With Trump’s announcement, Bondi becomes the third high-profile member of Trump’s cabinet to leave this term, following Noem and, last year, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz – whose duties were given to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The relatively intact inner circle of this term stands in stark contrast to his first term in office between 2017 and 2021, which saw a flurry of firings and replacements.
In the first year alone, the administration saw the departure of acting Attorney General Sally Yates, National Security Adviser Mike Flynn, FBI Director James Comey, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, chief strategist Steve Bannon and two press secretaries, among others.
Since returning to the White House last year, commentators and political strategists had remarked that Trump’s approach in his second term had been more disciplined and less chaotic.
Bondi was part of Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial and when he made false claims that the 2020 election had been stolen from him due to voter fraud.
She also publicly supported him by showing up at court during his hush money trial in New York, which ended in May with a conviction of 34 counts of fraud. Trump is appealing against the verdict.