Trump announces Pam Bondi as new attorney general pick hours after Matt Gaetz withdraws – NBC New York
President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday evening that his new pick for attorney general is Pam Bondi.
Bondi was Florida’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019.
The announcement came just hours after former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., withdrew from consideration.
A hacker on Monday gained access to a file containing the sworn depositions of two women involved in the investigation into Matt Gaetz, according to a source familiar with the matter.
“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans — Not anymore,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.”
Trump also praised her work against “the trafficking of deadly drugs.” Bondi previously worked on a Trump commission focusing on ending the opioid crisis and combating drug addiction.
Bondi is a partner at the lobbying firm Ballard Partners, where she chairs the company’s corporate regulatory compliance practice, according to the firm’s website.
The attorney general position requires confirmation by the Senate.
Bondi has long ties to Trump. During the 2016 Republican National Convention, she joined in “lock her up” chants aimed at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and she was then part of Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial.
After Trump lost the 2020 election, Bondi was involved in efforts to overturn the results, falsely claiming that Trump had “won Pennsylvania” at a news conference in Philadelphia.
Trump and Bondi’s ties have previously faced accusations of impropriety, which both have denied. In 2013, Trump’s foundation made a $25,000 donation to Bondi when she was Florida attorney general. The donation reportedly came around the same time that Bondi’s office was asked about looking into fraud allegations against Trump University.
Bondi did not open a case against Trump. He paid a $2,500 fine to the IRS after an ethics group said the foundation’s donation had not been disclosed to tax officials.
As attorney general, Bondi would lead the Justice Department, which houses the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Prisons and has more than 115,000 employees.
Gaetz praised Trump’s announcement on X, calling Bondi “a stellar selection.”
“She’s a proven litigator, an inspiring leader and a champion for all Americans,” he said. “She will bring the needed reforms to DOJ.”
Earlier Thursday, Gaetz announced that he was withdrawing his name from consideration to be the attorney general, arguing that his “confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.”
Gaetz faced allegations that included having sex with a 17-year-old girl. He has denied the allegations.
Trump praised Gaetz on Truth Social after he withdrew, saying he “has a wonderful future.”
Initial reactions to Bondi’s selection were more positive among Senate Republicans than when Trump tapped Gaetz.
“Picking Pam Bondi for Attorney General is a grand slam, touchdown, hole in one, ace, hat trick, slam dunk, Olympic gold medal pick,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on X.
Graham is the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will hold confirmation hearings for the attorney general nominee.
Some of Trump’s picks for top administration posts have already faced headwinds.
Pete Hegseth, whom Trump wants for defense secretary, faces an allegation of sexual assault, while critics have accused of Tulsi Gabbard, his choice for director of national intelligence, of spreading pro-Russia propaganda. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to serve as secretary of health and human services, has faced criticism both for his anti-vaccine activism and his previous stances in support of abortion rights.
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