President Donald Trump is reportedly considering replacing Attorney General Pam Bondi with EPA administrator Lee Zeldin.
Although Zeldin is not the definitive choice if Bondi is dismissed, his name has been mentioned most frequently among other potential candidates, according to a New York Times report on Wednesday.
The President’s consideration of a replacement for Bondi is reportedly due to dissatisfaction with the administration’s handling of the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein‘s files. Despite this, Trump publicly praised Bondi, stating, “Attorney General Pam Bondi is a wonderful person, and she is doing a good job.”
The notion of replacing Bondi with Zeldin first emerged in January but faded as coverage of Epstein declined, according to the report. However, sources told NYT that the possibility resurfaced in the West Wing on Monday.
Zeldin, a veteran and lawyer, earlier represented New York’s 1st congressional district before taking on his current role at the EPA. Although he lost the 2022 New York gubernatorial race to Kathy Hochul, he has continued to be a close ally of Trump.
White House did not immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comments.
In March, Trump replaced Kristi Noem with Markwayne Mullin as the new Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Noem is set to take on a new role as special envoy for the “Shield of the Americas,” a newly proposed security initiative.
Bondi Faces Mounting Pressure Over Probes
The potential replacement of Bondi comes after a series of events that have put her in the spotlight. In September, Trump publicly urged Bondi to pursue criminal charges against several political figures, expressing frustration with what he called delays in the Justice Department’s investigations.
However, back in July, amid an ongoing power struggle within the Trump administration related to the Epstein case, former White House lawyer Ty Cobb stated that Bondi’s position as Attorney General remained unthreatened.
In March, the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed AG Pam Bondi to testify on April 14 about the DOJ’s handling of Epstein-related matters, including compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Earlier this year, Bondi testified before the House Judiciary Committee in a public hearing that often descended into a series of heated and confrontational exchanges with Democratic lawmakers.
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