Bondi's ouster as Attorney General comes amid "exodus of talent" for federal prosecutors in Chicago
President Trump fired Pam Bondi as U.S. attorney general on Thursday, and insiders said the revolving door at the top of the Justice Department is spinning just as fast at the U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago.
Sources told CBS News that Bondi's dismissal comes amid the president's dissatisfaction with how aggressively she pursued his priorities, including prosecutions of his perceived political enemies.
During Bondi's time leading the Justice Department, federal prosecutors did pursue criminal investigations into Mr. Trump's perceived adversaries, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Leticia James, but both criminal cases were dismissed.
The president, in announcing the change on social media, called Bondi "a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend," and went on to say she will be transitioning to a new job in the private sector.
What was behind her firing?
"We'll never know for sure, but certainly the Epstein files factored into it. And Donald Trump doesn't like to see his political appointees ridiculed, for good reason. Pam Bondi's appearance before Congress was a disaster," said former federal prosecutor Ron Safer.
Ron safer led the criminal division at the U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago in the late 1990s. He said the revolving door at the Justice Department also is having an impact on federal prosecutors in Chicago.
"This office has seen an exodus of talent, and that is unprecedented. Every chief, including the chief of the criminal division, has left the office in the last six months. That causes a disruption to long-term investigations," Safer said.
Bondi's firing comes just days after a group of former federal prosecutors – including three former Chicago U.S. attorneys: Dan Webb, Scott Lassar, and Patrick Fitzgerald – formed a bipartisan "call to action" group aiming to bring dignity back to the Justice Department.
In an email, the group said the Justice Department is "ignoring its founding principles," adding, "we feel compelled to speak and act against the troubling events underway at the department."
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the president's former personal attorney, will serve as acting attorney general following Bondi's ouster.