Attorney general’s chief of staff to depart Justice Department following tumultuous few months

By Paula Reid, Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez, Casey Gannon, CNN

(CNN) — Attorney General Pam Bondi’s chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, is leaving the Justice Department, the attorney general and her deputy confirmed in statements provided to CNN on Tuesday.

Bondi said Mizelle served the department “with professionalism, sound judgement, and dedication” and “played a central role in coordinating the Department’s operations, ensuring its resources were aligned and our efforts were carried out with integrity and efficiency.”

Mizelle’s decision to leave the Justice Department comes as Bondi faces pressure on multiple fronts, including President Donald Trump’s call for her to prosecute his political enemies.

“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,’” the president said on Truth Social over the weekend.

Mizelle’s planned departure, which multiple sources had previously confirmed to CNN, also comes as the department faces intense backlash over its decision not to release any additional evidence related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation after Bondi made assurances she would do so.

Multiple sources said Mizelle’s departure is not related to Epstein, but nine months is a comparatively short tenure for a chief of staff.

Axios first reported on Mizelle’s expected exit.

Trump announced in December that Mizelle would be serving as chief of staff at the department. He has also served as acting associate attorney general – the third-most-senior position at DOJ.

Mizelle, who held several key positions in the first Trump administration, worked as the chief legal officer at the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s private equity firm before being tapped to return to Washington, DC.

Mizelle relocated to Washington for the job while his wife, a federal judge, and children remained in Florida. He had previously told people he planned to return to Florida after his time in government was complete. A source told CNN that Mizelle’s decision to leave was largely based on his desire to spend more time with his family.

Recently, several White House staffers have been vocal about their frustration with Mizelle, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. There is no indication that the frustrations reached the president.

The frustrations stemmed from the belief that Mizelle should have been protecting Bondi from the fallout over the Epstein files controversy, the sources said. The blame came as early as February, when she distributed binders labeled as the Epstein files to influencers at the White House. The influencers shared later that there was no new information in the binders.

“Per usual, unnamed sources get it wrong – Chad Mizelle played a key role in securing countless legal victories and helped deliver on many of President Trump’s key promises,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. “The entire Administration appreciates his hard work and dedication to our country.”

The department has been through a series of controversies aside from Epstein – including firing thousands of employees, court fights over deportations, accusations of a quid pro quo for dropping corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, as well as probes into former President Joe Biden and those who prosecuted the January 6, 2021, US Capitol rioters.

Behind the scenes, Mizelle served as a top adviser to Bondi, but he also took a public-facing role in many of the department’s biggest cases.

In his capacity as acting associate attorney general, Mizelle signed onto court filings and argued on behalf of the administration, notably defending Trump’s executive orders targeting large law firms.

Mizelle was also prolific on X, posting threads defending the department’s work. He railed against district judges who he claimed overreached their authority and pushed arguments in defense of dropping the case against Adams.

Mizelle’s departure comes shortly after Emil Bove was tapped to serve as an appellate judge after serving in top roles at DOJ for just a few months. Bove was confirmed in July.

It is not clear where Mizelle is headed next. During the first Trump administration, Mizelle held top legal positions at the Department of Homeland Security, the White House counsel’s office, and the deputy attorney general’s office.

Mizelle “played a key role in advancing the President’s America First agenda here at the Department, and his efforts strengthened our mission to protect the American people. We are grateful for his service, and he will be greatly missed,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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