Bondi Fires Her Personal Ethics Advisor, Because Who Needs It?

His job included reviewing and approving financial disclosures, recusals, waivers to conflicts of interest, and advice on travel and gifts for Bondi and other DOJ leaders.
By Susie Madrak — July 14, 2025

Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired her personal ethics adviser, removing the Justice Department’s top official responsible for counseling the most senior political appointees. Via Bloomberg Law:

Joseph Tirrell, a career attorney who’d spent nearly 20 years at the department, received a termination letter from Bondi July 11 that didn’t state a reason for his immediate removal from federal service. Similar to notices the Trump administration has sent to dozens of other DOJ civil servants, Bondi cited Article II of the Constitution, which concerns presidential powers, the sources said.

Tirrell, who transferred from the FBI in 2018 after a decade of service there, headed the DOJ’s ethics office. His portfolio included reviewing and approving financial disclosures, recusals, waivers to conflicts of interest, and advice on travel and gifts for Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, and other DOJ leaders.

He also oversaw a team of ethics staffers that provide guidance to employees in all the department’s litigating offices, law enforcement agencies, and other branches.

Well! You can see why he had to go!

https://bsky.app/profile/justlookingk.bsky.social/post/3ltv3zd6lzs2i

Scott Maxwell: “The idea of Pam Bondi – who was dogged by ethics scandals in Florida and worked as a lobbyist for Qatar – serving as an ethics advisor on whether Donald Trump should accept a free plane from Qatar is ridiculous.” #Florida

— Marc N Cunat (@marccunat.bsky.social) 2025-05-15T13:59:05.910Z

Well when you got like Fox TV News hosts like Hegseth, their own personal pet killers like Noem, a known State ethics violator like Bondi from Florida, and a proven Nazi white supremacist top advisor like Miller, ALL actually running things, I would say we're pretty much have to keep it together

— C. Smith aka Linesurge (@c-s-smith.bsky.social) 2025-06-18T13:33:14.112Z

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