Too Weird to Check: Trump Canned Bondi Over … Swalwell?

Did the now-fired Attorney General tip off one of her boss’ fiercest critics over an FBI plan to release investigatory files? That’s what the Daily Mail claimed earlier this afternoon, shortly after Donald Trump announced Pam Bondi’s departure from the Department of Justice. Their trio of reporters claims that the matter came to a head late yesterday, with Trump cashiering Bondi just prior to his war speech on national television.

Color me a bit skeptical on this, but here’s the story:

Trump’s reasoning for the sudden dismissal comes in part because the President believes Bondi tipped off Eric Swalwell about the FBI’s efforts to release investigative documents related to his relationship with an alleged Chinese spy.

The FBI was preparing a cache of documents on Swalwell’s relationship with 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 added. 

It is unclear why Bondi would have intervened, but it is believed that Bondi and Swalwell have a friendly relationship.

How friendly is their relationship? Even the Daily Mail notes that Swalwell has not just attacked Trump publicly, but Bondi as well. Swalwell ripped Bondi for a lack of prosecutions in death threats made against himself and his family. Collin Rugg posted one short clip of their exchange in congressional testimony:

NEW: Pam Bondi was fired, in part, because President Trump believed she had tipped off Eric Swalwell, according to the Daily Mail.

Trump reportedly believes Bondi had tipped off Swalwell about the FBI’s effort to share investigative documents about his relationship with an… pic.twitter.com/ULpH0Lm8Y6

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 2, 2026

That doesn’t sound especially friendly. Swalwell was professional but also clearly unhappy with Bondi’s answers, and Bondi’s response to that criticism was professional and appropriate. That doesn’t mean that they don’t communicate privately, but it certainly doesn’t look like they’d be best buds, either. Plus, when would that friendship have formed? Swalwell’s a House Democrat from California; Bondi is Florida’s former AG, who served as a prosecutor in the Tampa area for years before that and has never been in Congress. 

Maybe Bondi didn’t like the idea of releasing investigative files on cases where no indictment had been sought. (Color me skeptical on that idea, too, after the Epstein Files debacle and backlash.) If so, she could have just told Kash Patel not to release the files, since he serves her within the DoJ hierarchy. Perhaps she did, and that’s what got Trump angry enough to fire her now. That’s a fairly convoluted explanation for a termination that is far easier to understand than Bondi’s role in setting fire to Trump by promising the release of investigatory material in the Jeffrey Epstein case, only to reverse course and fuel rumors of a cover-up. 

NBC News has a somewhat more plausible explanation, noting that Trump’s dissatisfaction long preceded the recent dust-up between Patel and Swalwell:

Since the Jeffrey Epstein files saga, Bondi had struggled to regain her footing with the president and deliver wins.

The president’s frustration bled out publicly in a since-deleted Truth Social post last year, where he wrote: “Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, “same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam “Shifty” Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.” Then we almost put in a Democrat supported U.S. Attorney, in Virginia, with a really bad Republican past.”

“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” he added. “They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”

Some of Trump’s allies were frustrated by her handling of the files and believe she hadn’t been aggressive enough at delivering wins in investigations against the president’s political foes.

Failing to secure indictments “is a problem for job security with the president,” a former White House official said. “No one is more anxious than Trump to get everything done immediately. He’s at a stage in life where he realizes that time goes fast. He wants action.”

Again, the simpler explanations likely explain this decision best. Bondi committed a major unforced error over the Epstein Files that has cast a shadow on everything Trump has done since. Bondi simply hasn’t had the wins necessary to overcome the drag that faceplant created for her. Also, Trump has gone out of his way to be gracious and complimentary to both Bondi and Kristi Noem after firing them both within the last few weeks, so it doesn’t appear personal. If Trump thought Bondi had betrayed him to protect Eric Swalwell of all people, I doubt Trump would have bothered with graciousness to any degree. Just ask [checks notes] practically everyone Trump has fired in the past. 

It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s business. 

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