Ryan Lucas

The Justice Department has struggled to find success in these efforts.

At this point, Comey and James are the only two to be indicted, and a court later tossed both of those cases because it found the prosecutor who had secured them was unlawfully appointed.

The president campaigned on getting revenge on his political foes, and the department's failures on that front under Bondi seem to be a source of frustration for him.

It's a wild guess, but there is some science involved in it.

In his social media post announcing this, Trump offered a couple of kind words for Bondi.

He said she had done a tremendous job overseeing what he called a massive crackdown on crime.

He said, quote, we love Pam.

And he said she'll be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector.

Those are his exact words.

He didn't say what that would be, only that it would be announced later.

And he also said that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch is going to step in as acting attorney general.

In a post online, Trump called Bondi a great American patriot and loyal friend who oversaw what he called a massive crackdown on crime.

But Bondi had come under bipartisan criticism for handling of the files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

She's also been pressed by Trump to aggressively go after the president's perceived political enemies.

And under Bondi's leadership, the Justice Department has investigated and even prosecuted some of Trump's critics.

But those cases have foundered in court or before grand juries.

Now, Bondi is out, and Trump says Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch, a former personal lawyer for Trump,

will take over leading the department for now on an acting basis.

Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington.

NPR's Ryan Lucas.