Former Attorney General Pam Bondi was hit with a "damning" ethics complaint on Wednesday, according to reports.
The complaint was filed by several legal groups — Lawyers Defending American Democracy, Democracy Defenders Fund, and Lawyers for the Rule of Law — against the ousted Trump administration member with the Florida Bar Association. The complaint urged an investigation into allegations of misconduct during her time leading the Department of Justice, where about 2,500 attorneys left the DOJ.
"She ran DOJ like a weapon — & now 100+ scholars, retired judges & retired FL Supreme Court Chief Justice Peggy Quince — joined by @democracydefendersfund.org @ldadorg.bsky.social & LFRL — are holding her accountable," Norm Eisen, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund & co-founder of The Contrarian Substack, wrote in a post on Bluesky.
The complaint specifically cites the Epstein files and the DOJ's delayed release.
"Among the new apparent violations highlighted in the complaint are Ms. Bondi's apparent violation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, including her ability to supervise subordinate officers in their review and release of the files," according to the complaint.
The complaint cites the release of more than 100 survivors' identifications and personal information.
“The Department of Justice’s release, redaction, withholding, and messaging related to the Epstein files, which Ms. Bondi both participated in directly and oversaw as Attorney General, has been fundamentally flawed from the beginning,” the complaint said.