Pam Bondi firing controversy: Former attorney general pleads with Trump not to remove her; Eric Swalwell key link revealed in final conversation

“Pam Bondi is a great American patriot and loyal friend who has served faithfully as my Attorney General for the past year. Pam has done an outstanding job overseeing a massive crackdown on crime across the country, with murder rates plummeting to their lowest levels since 1900,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Read more: Pam Bondi’s new role explained: Trump hints at former attorney general’s future in his administration; Todd Branch reacts

“We love Pam and she will be moving into a much-needed and important new job in the private sector, which will be announced in the near future with our Deputy Attorney General and an extremely talented and respected legal mind, Todd Branch, becoming Acting Attorney General. Thank you for your interest in this matter!” he added.

The Daily Mail, citing a senior government source, said Bondi tried to persuade Trump to reconsider in their final exchange before the president delivered a major speech on Iran. “She was upset and tried to change his mind,” the source said.

Read more: Why Trump fired Pam Bondi as attorney general and talked about getting rid of Tulsi Gabbard — explained

Despite her efforts, Trump informed her that she was fired and said an announcement would be made soon.

“She is interfering in these matters. The White House is not happy about her interference because of her personal friendship with Swalwell,” the source added.

While the exact nature of Bundy’s involvement is unclear, reports suggest the two were on friendly terms. However, Swalwell has publicly criticized her tenure, particularly her handling of threats against him and his family.

Bundy has been under pressure for months while in office. Her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein documents has drawn criticism from many quarters, with accusations of a lack of transparency further eroding the confidence of some Trump voters.

Even as speculation about her future intensified in Washington, Bondi continued to appear in public with Trump. She joined him in a lawsuit before the Supreme Court related to birthright citizenship and attended his prime-time speech on the conflict in Iran the day before she was fired.

However, behind the scenes, tensions have reportedly been rising. Trump is said to be increasingly frustrated with her failure to aggressively pursue legal action against his political opponents.

Now attention has turned to who could replace her. According to the Associated Press, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is one of the leading contenders. “We hope it’s Zeldin,” a former Trump administration official told the Daily Mail.