Donald Trump moved quickly to find a new candidate for attorney general on Thursday, announcing the former Florida A.G. Pam Bondi as his pick to head the nation’s legal system.
Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration earlier in the day when it became clear that a lingering scandal meant he did not have the votes to be confirmed in the Senate.
‘Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on violent criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families,’ Trump posted on Truth Social as he made the announcement.
‘Then, as Florida’s first female attorney general, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs, and reduce the tragedy of fentanyl overdose deaths, which have destroyed many families across our country.’
Trump has made clear that he wants a disruptor in the role, someone who will overhaul the Department of Justice and help push through his agenda from day one.
That should have been Gaetz, a combative congressman from Florida. But he withdrew after eight turbulent days in the spotlight.
He had been investigated by the Department of Justice making him a shock choice to lead it. And a drip, drip, drip of headlines about a 𝓈ℯ𝓍 scandal showed no sign of letting up.
‘While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,’ he said in announcing his withdrawal, a day after meeting with senators in an effort to win them over.
He withdrew after a bleak call with Trump, in which the president-elect made clear that the maths were not on his side.
It was the biggest setback so far to Trump since winning reelection on Nov. 5, as he tries to avoid the chaos of his first administration.
Bondi, 59, is another Trump loyalist with a combative streak.
In 2013, she achieved notoriety by persuading the then state governor to delay an execution so that she could hold a campaign fundraiser.
She was part of Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment and served on his Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission.
And she backed Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
And she most recently chaired the legal arm of America First Policy Institute, which has been drafting a framework for his new administration.
Trump, won reelection despite being the subject of multiple criminal investigations from U.S. and state prosecutors, said Bondi would end the politicization of federal prosecutions.
‘For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore,’ said Trump in a post on Truth Social.
‘Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting crime, and making America safe again.’
Her confirmation hearings will likely sift through a controversial donation she received from Trump during his first campaign.
In 2016, his foundation donated $25,000 donation to a campaign group linked to Florida’s attorney general at a time when she was considering launching an investigation into Trump University.
Trump was fined after it emerged the donation had not been disclosed to tax officials.
However, she will sidestep some of the criticism aimed at Gaetz. Unlike him, her resume is packed with the sort of legal experience expected of the nation’s top law officer.