Bondi Fires ATF Official
Attorney General Pam Bondi took decisive action Thursday, firing Pamela Hicks, the general counsel for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), in a move that signals the Trump administration’s sweeping effort to overhaul federal agencies. Hicks confirmed her dismissal in a statement on social media, marking the end of a nearly three-decade career in federal service.
“Earlier today, I was served official notice from the Attorney General of the United States that I was being removed from my position as the Chief Counsel of ATF and my employment with the Department of Justice terminated,” Hicks wrote. She described her tenure at ATF as an “honor,” but her removal comes as little surprise to those following the administration’s recent shake-ups.
BREAKING
ATF’s Chief Counsel Pamela Hicks has been fired and escorted out of the Washington, D.C. headquarters.
Hicks oversaw the enforcement of every Biden infringement of the Second Amendment since taking the position in 2021. pic.twitter.com/Cvg8HN2gvP
— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) February 20, 2025
Gun Owners of America wasted no time in highlighting the significance of Hicks’ departure, pointing out that she “oversaw the enforcement of every Biden infringement of the Second Amendment since taking the position in 2021.”
Her firing is just the latest step in the Trump administration’s push to dismantle the regulatory framework that has restricted gun rights under previous leadership.
The move also follows the resignation of the FBI’s general counsel earlier this month—another sign that Bondi and the Trump administration are clearing out entrenched bureaucrats who played key roles in the Justice Department under Biden. According to The Washington Post, the administration is actively seeking fresh leadership to steer federal law enforcement in a new direction.
This restructuring is part of a broader strategy ordered by President Donald Trump, who earlier this week directed the dismissal of all remaining Biden-era U.S. Attorneys. The decision, while standard when a new president takes office, is being implemented with a clear sense of urgency. Trump made his stance unmistakable in a statement on social media:
“Over the past four years, the Department of Justice has been politicized like never before. Therefore, I have instructed the termination of ALL remaining ‘Biden Era’ U.S. Attorneys. We must ‘clean house’ IMMEDIATELY, and restore confidence. America’s Golden Age must have a fair Justice System — THAT BEGINS TODAY!”