DOJ panics over what Pam Bondi replacement candidates will do to 'impress Trump': report

With Donald Trump dragging his feet on officially nominating a replacement for fire Attorney General Pam Bondi, there are growing concerns within the Department of Justice about the behind-the-scenes lobbying by prospective candidates.

The president was not clear about what led to Bondi’s ouster, but it is generally suspected that she was not quick enough, or successful enough, when it came to prosecuting the president’s enemies. There is also a belief that Trump was displeased with her for letting the Jeffrey Epstein files cast a continually darkening cloud over his second term.

According to reporting from the Washington Post, while acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears positioned as the frontrunner for the permanent job, the behind-the-scenes lobbying and politicking is creating serious concerns within the Justice Department about the lengths candidates will go to "impress" the president.

Blanche is already cementing his dominance. The acting attorney general has quickly moved to leave his mark on Justice Department headquarters by pushing out Bondi's top spokespeople and installing a key ally in a top deputy position — moves clearly designed to signal control and readiness for the permanent role, the Post is reporting.

The Post's team of Jeremy Roebuck, Perry Stein, Salvador Rizzo and Theodoric Meyer are reporting the competition is intense. Various factions of Trump's MAGA coalition have rallied around alternatives, particularly Harmeet K. Dhillon, currently head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, and Jeanine Pirro, the former Fox News personality now serving as U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C.

"Neither Dhillon nor Pirro has been so forward as to openly suggest an interest in the job. But both have taken steps in recent days that are viewed by insiders as efforts to raise their profile and jockey for the president's attention," the Post report notes.

Dhillon's supporters are aggressively promoting her aggressive style. The Civil Rights Division head has distinguished herself through what supporters characterize as "pugilistic" leadership — from maligning critics on social media to launching investigations into DEI practices, state voter rolls, and antisemitism allegations.

"Her supporters say she best embodies the aggressive push for top-to-bottom change Trump has demanded from his Justice Department," according to the report.

The uncertainty is creating serious concern within DOJ ranks. The department is already struggling with claims of politicization and the abandonment of long-held norms. The ongoing leadership vacuum only intensifies worries about how far Trump's next permanent choice will go to prove loyalty to the president.