Bondi undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer after recent diagnosis

Washington — Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer, she told CBS News in a text message exchange Wednesday.

She said she was diagnosed after leaving the Justice Department in April and underwent surgery as part of her treatment a couple of weeks ago.

Bondi was fired by President Trump on April 2 and replaced by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who has been serving in an acting capacity since her ouster.

Axios was first to report the diagnosis, and that Bondi had been tapped to serve on a presidential advisory commission focused on artificial intelligence policy, the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. 

In a statement Wednesday morning to CBS News, Vice President JD Vance said Bondi “has been an enormously valuable asset to the president’s team, and I’m thrilled for her and for all of us that she’s going to remain involved in confronting some of the most important issues the administration faces.”

Bondi is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Friday about her handling of the rollout of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which was a major source of controversy during her stint as attorney general. Her tenure came to an end amid dissatisfaction with how aggressively she pursued Mr. Trump’s priorities at the Justice Department.

The Justice Department’s internal watchdog said last month that it will audit the department’s compliance with the law that required the release of the Epstein files, following months of bipartisan criticism over how the agency handled the disclosure.