Following the withdrawal of Matt Gaetz as the nominee for U.S. Attorney General, United States President-elect Donald Trump has announced the nomination of Pam Bondi, a former Florida Attorney General and close ally, for the role.
Gaetz withdrew after facing a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct involving a 17-year-old and illicit drug use, accusations he has denied.
Bondi, 59, served as Florida’s Attorney General from 2011 to 2019 and was a key member of Trump’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during his first administration, Reuters reports.
She also defended Trump during his first impeachment trial, where he was accused of withholding military aid to pressure Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden.
“She is certainly qualified for the position on paper,” said David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor. “She spent her life prosecuting cases. She has a resume, as compared to the last nominee.”
Trump praised Bondi’s prosecutorial experience on social media, saying, “For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponised against me and other Republicans – Not anymore.”
Bondi’s ties to Trump date back to 2013 when the Trump Foundation donated $25,000 to a political committee supporting her.
This sparked controversy as her office decided not to pursue action against Trump University, though Bondi denied any connection.
In recent years, Bondi has been an ardent defender of Trump, leading legal initiatives at the America First Policy Institute and supporting Trump in his classified documents case.
Trump’s plans for the Justice Department include focusing on illegal immigration cases and shifting the Civil Rights Division’s priorities toward defending religious freedoms and challenging diversity programmes.
Bondi’s nomination marks a sharp contrast to Gaetz’s, whose limited experience and controversies made his confirmation highly unlikely.