Ryan Lucas

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.

Traditionally, the Justice Department has been independent to a degree from the White House.

That's particularly true when it comes to investigations.

And that's to try to insulate those from partisan politics.

Bondi tossed that independence out the window.

The department has targeted the president's perceived enemies.

And then more broadly, the past 14 months have just been an incredibly chaotic time at the Justice Department.

Career prosecutors and FBI officials have been fired.

Entire sections of the department have been gutted.

And the credibility of the department before the courts has suffered as well.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C.

by three former FBI agents, Michelle Ball, Jamie Garman, and Blair Tolman, who are Bureau veterans with years of experience.

They were fired last year as part of what the lawsuit calls a retribution campaign against

against FBI employees who worked on Trump investigations.

The suit is the latest to be filed by fired FBI agents, but this one could have a broader impact because it is seeking to represent a proposed class of at least 50 FBI employees who have been fired under the Trump administration for what the lawsuit says are similarly improper reasons.