Donald Trump fires his Minister of Justice Pam Bondi
Washington – President Donald Trump fired his Minister of Justice Pam Bondi on Thursday, a loyal ally criticized notably for her handling of the Epstein case, announcing her departure to the private sector. The interim for Ms. Bondi will be taken over by the number 2 of the Justice Department Todd Blanche, former personal lawyer of Donald Trump, added the American president on his Truth social network, praising the outgoing minister’s action, described as a “great patriot,” against crime. This is the second high-ranking official ousted from the Trump administration, less than a month after the Minister of Home Security Kristi Noem. Several American media outlets, including CNN and Fox News, had previously reported on this dismissal. Donald Trump reproaches Pam Bondi for her handling of the case of sexual criminal Jeffrey Epstein and for not having sufficiently indicted personalities he considers personal enemies, according to CNN. Todd Blanche, described by Donald Trump as a “very talented and respected lawyer,” had been in the forefront on the Epstein case when the Justice Department released “over three million pages” of Jeffrey Epstein’s file on January 30, incarcerated in 2019 in New York before his trial. “Ordering indictments like pizzas” Pam Bondi, former Attorney General of Florida, stood out as Minister of Justice for her unconditional defense of the Republican president, particularly during heated hearings facing Democratic lawmakers in Congress. In February, several Democratic figures accused her of “covering up” the Epstein case by not respecting the law requiring the Trump administration to be fully transparent about this politically explosive issue. “You show very little concern for the victims, Madam Minister of Justice, whether they are victims of the Epstein exploitation network or deadly government violence against American citizens in Minneapolis,” Jamie Raskin, principal Democratic member of the House Judiciary Committee, had thus launched at her. He was notably referring to two protesters protesting against immigration (ICE) killed in January by federal police officers. Democrats also questioned the minister about the criminal proceedings initiated by the president against targets of his vindictiveness, many of which did not materialize. The justice system thus annulled the indictments of former FBI director James Comey and New York State Attorney General Letitia James, and citizen juries refused to indict six Democratic lawmakers who had urged the military to disobey the “illegal orders” of the administration. “You have turned the Department of Justice into a tool of Trump’s vengeance. Trump orders indictments as he would order pizzas, and you carry them out,” Jamie Raskin mocked. In September, Donald Trump publicly pressured his Minister of Justice, wondering on Truth Social why James Comey and Letitia James had still not been indicted. Selim SAHEB ETTABA © Agence France-Presse
