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Former Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly begged President Donald Trump not to fire her, the Daily Mail reports.
Trump reportedly informed Bondi of his decision during a meeting at the White House on Thursday (April 2), to which she responded by pleading with him to give her more time in the role.
'She was unhappy and tried to change his mind,' the source told the Daily Mail.
Trump then told Bondi that he made his decision and an announcement would be made on Friday (April 3), though it was rushed one day early amid media speculation overnight. The president reportedly made his decision, in part, due to Bondi tipping Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of the FBI's efforts to release documents related to Swalwell's alleged relationship with Chinese spy Christine Fang.
'She's intervening in those matters. The White House wasn't pleased she was intervening due to her personal friendship with Swalwell,' the source told the Daily Mail.
It's unclear why Bondi would've notified Swalwell of the documents being released, but it's speculated that the two have a friendly relationship, despite the Democratic congressman openly criticizing her since she took over as attorney general after she failed to prosecute multiple death threats against him and his family. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will reportedly serve as acting attorney general until Trump picks a nominee to fill the position permanently.
Trump is reportedly considering Environmental Protection Agency Director Lee Zeldin as Bondi's replacement, sources confirmed to FOX News on Thursday. Trump and Zeldin reportedly met with him at the White House on Tuesday (March 31), which was initially intended to discuss wildfire and prevention, but escalated into talks of the transition, one source with knowledge of the situation confirmed.