President Donald Trump has unleashed a scathing attack on Attorney General Pam Bondi, accusing her of failing to take down Deep State operatives and leaking a private text message listing her shortcomings.
Trump wrote that Bondi was “all talk, no action” and demanded she step up efforts to prosecute his political enemies. He specifically named James Comey, Adam Schiff, and Letitia James, declaring, “they’re all guilty as hell.”
The president said delays in prosecution were “killing our reputation and credibility.” His frustration centered on outgoing U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Erik Siebert, who reportedly refused to prosecute James for mortgage fraud, citing weak evidence.
Siebert also declined to pursue charges against Comey after DNI Tulsi Gabbard accused him of threatening Trump in a social media post, according to the Washington Post.
Mainstream outlets initially reported Siebert resigned, but Trump corrected the record, the Daily Mail reported.
“He even lied to the media and said he quit, and that we had no case. No, I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so,” Trump wrote.
The president went further, floating attorney Lindsey Halligan as Siebert’s replacement. Halligan currently serves as a White House special assistant and has represented Trump in numerous high-profile cases.
In a follow-up post, Trump announced he was formally appointing Halligan to serve as U.S. Attorney in Virginia’s eastern district.
He described Siebert as a “Democrat Endorsed ‘Republican’” and promised Halligan would “be Fair, Smart, and will provide, desperately needed, JUSTICE FOR ALL!”
Trump appeared to ease up on Bondi later, saying she is “doing a GREAT job” as Attorney General. The move suggested his initial post was aimed more at forcing results than pushing her out.
Halligan has been a loyal legal ally to Trump for years. She was one of his attorneys in the classified documents case at Mar-a-Lago, which was dismissed in August 2024 by Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s appointment unconstitutional.
That ruling was appealed, but in February 2025 the 11th Circuit tossed the case for good. Halligan’s legal victory was widely celebrated inside Trump’s circle.
More recently, Halligan led Trump’s review of historical exhibits at the Smithsonian. In August she said slavery was “overemphasized” at the museum. “There’s a lot of history to our country, both positive and negative, but we need to keep moving forward,” she told Fox News.
Bondi had reportedly tapped Mary “Maggie” Cleary as acting U.S. attorney in Siebert’s place. Cleary, a conservative Republican, once faced false allegations of being present on January 6 but was cleared after an internal review.
If Halligan becomes permanent U.S. Attorney, she will require Senate confirmation. With Republicans holding a 53-seat majority, her approval is considered almost certain.
Trump’s decision signals his determination to install aggressive prosecutors who will, in his words, “deliver the justice America deserves.”
