WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is in no hurry to tap a permanent attorney general to replace Pam Bondi following her ouster, according to people familiar with the matter, allowing Todd Blanche time to settle into his role as the U.S. Justice Department’s acting chief.

Bondi was removed from her post as the nation’s top prosecutor last week after the president grew increasingly frustrated over missteps in cases targeting political rivals and her handling of files related to the late, disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump, who tapped Blanche as acting attorney general, is content to leave him in that position for now and see how he performs, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to detail the president’s thinking. Trump had initially discussed selecting Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, among others, as a permanent replacement. For now, he has ceased discussions with other contenders, the official said.

The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump’s approach for now affords Blanche, who served as Bondi’s deputy and is one of the president’s former defense attorneys, time to address the challenges at an agency that has been in tumult.

Blanche had already begun to assume a leading role in helping steady the Justice Department following dramatic policy changes, controversies and the departure of thousands of experienced prosecutors who were either fired or resigned. He also played a pivotal role in helping manage the fallout from the Epstein files and the bipartisan blowback over the administration’s handling of the matter.

Blanche met with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence, interviewing her during a July deposition in which she asserted that said she never saw Trump do anything “inappropriate.” Maxwell was subsequently moved to a lower-security federal prison camp in Texas, a decision that led some Democrats to question whether she was receiving preferential treatment.

The White House has yet to pursue conversations about whether Blanche could eventually be a permanent replacement or if he could survive a Senate confirmation hearing, according to the official, who added that Republicans on Capitol Hill had still not been consulted on any potential nomination.

Another White House official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said Blanche may be less likely to obtain Trump’s nod for the permanent job because of concern he would not be able to secure Senate confirmation.

Blanche told reporters Tuesday that he did not feel pressure to carry out prosecutions of Trump’s political opponents, even as he offered support to the president’s agenda.

“We have thousands of ongoing investigations and prosecutions going on in this country right now,” Blanche said during his first press conference since being named to his new post. “Some of them involve men, women and entities that the president in the past has had issues with and that he believes should be investigated.”

Blanche bristled at questions about the circumstances surrounding Bondi’s departure, saying that “nobody has any idea” about what led to her exit other than Trump.

Bondi has already lined up a private sector job within Trump’s broader world, the official said, but declined to elaborate on that forthcoming role. After ousting Bondi, Trump had said she would move into the private sector but offered no details.

The Justice Department declined to comment on Bondi’s plans.

Trump, a former reality TV star known for his signature “You’re fired,” line on NBC’s The Apprentice, oversaw a tumultuous Cabinet in his first term marked by turnover and rancor towards onetime close aides and associates after their departure. His second term has seen more stability in a Cabinet made up largely of loyalists. Mike Waltz shifted from national security adviser to UN ambassador last year after a controversy involving the addition of a journalist to a chat where officials discussed plans for a military operation.

Two-high profile exits in recent weeks, however — the removal of Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary and then Bondi at DOJ — have spurred speculation of a broader shake-up in the works as Trump prepares for midterm elections in November.

The president and his Republican Party face an uphill battle to retain control of Congress with polls showing voters unhappy with his economic agenda and significant numbers of Americans disapproving of Trump’s handling of the Iran war.

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With assistance from Chris Strohm and Jimmy Jenkins.

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