Pam Bondi Fires Top ATF Official As Trump Admin Guts Biden Officials Throughout Government

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday fired Pamela Hicks, the general counsel for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

“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 said in a statement on social media confirming the news.

“I have had the privilege of serving in the federal civil service for almost 28 years, including 23 as an attorney for the Department of Justice,” Hicks continued. “Serving as ATF Chief Counsel has been the highest honor of my career and working with the people at ATF and throughout the Department has been a pleasure.”

Gun Owners of America said that Hicks “oversaw the enforcement of every Biden infringement of the Second Amendment since taking the position in 2021.”

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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

The news comes after the FBI’s general counsel resigned earlier this month as the Trump administration seeks fresh faces to serve in key positions over the next four years, The Washington Post reported.

The firing comes after President Donald Trump ordered this week that all remaining Biden-era United States Attorneys be fired — a move that is common when a new administration takes over.

“Over the past four years, the Department of Justice has been politicized like never before,” Trump wrote on social media. “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!”