Former Attorney General Pam Bondi diagnosed with thyroid cancer

WASHINGTON – Former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom President Donald Trump fired in April, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer shortly after her departure from the administration, according to a source familiar with her condition.

Bondi is receiving treatment for the cancer, the source said.

As she battles cancer, Bondi is set to return to the Trump administration to serve on an advisory committee on artificial intelligence policy. Her appointment by Trump comes after the president abruptly scrapped plans to sign an AI executive order over concerns about overregulating the rapidly growing industry.

"Pam 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," Vice President JD Vance said in a statement provided to USA TODAY.

Efforts to reach Bondi were unsuccessful. Axios first reported on Bondi's plans to return to the Trump administration in an advisory role and her cancer diagnosis.

Thyroid cancer results from malignant cells growing in a person’s thyroid gland. Located in the front of the neck, the thyroid creates hormones that regulate metabolism, heart rate and blood pressure. Thyroid diseases are common among older people and women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Bondi, 60, was fired as attorney general after several investigations of Trump's perceived enemies were thwarted and her handling of files related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein came under intense criticism.

Federal judges dismissed indictments brought by Bondi's Justice Department against two Trump adversaries ‒ New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey ‒ and grand juries refused to pursue new charges. Lawmakers of both parties accused Bondi of botching the release of the Epstein files, which Congress directed in December. 

Bondi will be tasked on the new AI advisory committee with coordinating communications between the administration and tech leaders such as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. David Sacks, a tech entrepreneur and former White House adviser on AI and cryptocurrency, will co-chair the committee alongside White House science adviser Michael Kratsios, the source said.

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

Contributing: Bart Jansen