Trump quietly seethes to aides about 'weak and ineffective' Pam Bondi: report
Donald Trump looks on as Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
January 12, 2026
President Donald Trump privately rages to his aides about his "weak and ineffective" attorney general because of her repeated failures to enforce his agenda, according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Trump has told aides that Attorney General Pam Bondi is not pursuing his priorities with enough vigor, citing "administration officials and other people familiar with his complaints." The report was published at a time when Trump had directed law enforcement agencies to go after his political foes, such as Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Trump has become so frustrated with Bondi that the Wall Street Journal reported he is considering appointing a special counsel to take over her job.
"Chief among his grievances is what he sees as Bondi’s failure to quickly and effectively prosecute the investigators who had pursued him for years, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James, the officials and others familiar with his complaints said," the report reads in part. "Both criminal cases were dismissed in November by a judge who said the Trump aide who secured the indictment had been improperly appointed to her post. Trump has wanted to see the cases continue quickly."
"Trump has also complained frequently that Bondi’s handling of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has created months of political and personal headaches for him, officials familiar with the complaints said," it added. "When White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair that Bondi 'whiffed' on her handling of the files, Trump told staff that he agreed with Wiles, two officials said."