Who is Pam Bondi, Trump’s new nominee for US attorney general?

United States President-elect Donald Trump has picked different loyalist to beryllium nan adjacent lawyer wide aft his first choice, firebrand former Congressman Matt Gaetz, withdrew from contention aft days of controversy.

Trump announced connected Thursday that he was nominating Pam Bondi, a erstwhile Florida lawyer general, to beryllium nan country’s adjacent apical national prosecutor.

“For excessively long, nan partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against maine and different Republicans – Not anymore. Pam will refocus nan DOJ to its intended intent of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again,” he said successful a societal media post.

He made nan assignment aft Gaetz’s nomination drew disapproval from lawmakers successful some awesome US governmental parties.

The Florida Republican has been nan taxable of a House of Representatives Ethics Committee investigation into forbidden activities, including allegations he had activity pinch an underage 17-year-old girl. He has denied wrongdoing.

Bondi’s nomination, which must beryllium confirmed by nan US Senate, has besides caused a operation pinch observers pointing to past controversies, including a 2013 Trump Foundation aid to a governmental action committee backing her.

Here’s what you request to cognize astir the nominee:

Who is Pam Bondi?

Bondi, 59, made history successful 2010 erstwhile she was elected arsenic Florida’s first female lawyer general, a position she held from 2011 to 2019.

A Tampa native, she had spent much than 18 years arsenic a charismatic successful nan Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office but was comparatively chartless successful nationalist governmental circles erstwhile she was nan US state’s apical prosecutor.

In her clip arsenic Florida lawyer general, Bondi stressed quality trafficking issues and urged tightening authorities laws against traffickers.

Her resume contrasts pinch that of Gaetz, who has small of nan accepted acquisition expected of an lawyer wide – a position that holds monolithic decision-making authority complete what cases to prosecute and really to nonstop national rule enforcement.

The FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and US Marshals Service each reply to nan lawyer general. The lawyer wide besides oversees location national prosecutors, known arsenic US attorneys, crossed nan country.

“She is surely qualified for nan position connected paper,” David Weinstein, a erstwhile national charismatic successful Florida who now useful arsenic a defence attorney, told nan Reuters news agency.

“She spent her life prosecuting cases. She has a resume, arsenic compared to nan past nominee.”

Bondi speaks astatine a Trump run rally successful Greensboro, North Carolina, connected November 2, 2024, 3 days earlier Trump was re-elected [Sam Wolfe/Reuters]

What is her narration pinch Trump?

Bondi has been successful Trump’s orbit for years and was 1 of his earliest supporters, endorsing nan erstwhile president during his successful 2016 run for nan White House.

She gained nationalist attraction pinch appearances connected Fox News arsenic a defender of Trump and had a notable speaking spot astatine nan 2016 Republican National Convention, wherever he became nan party’s nominee.

During her remarks, immoderate successful nan crowd began chanting “Lock her up” astir Trump’s Democratic rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Bondi responded: “‘Lock her up,’ I emotion that.”

After Trump won nan election, she served connected his modulation squad earlier besides becoming a personnel of his Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during his first administration.

She was besides portion of Trump’s defence squad during his first impeachment trial, successful which he was accused of pressuring Ukraine to behaviour a corruption investigation into his rival, now-President Joe Biden, by withholding subject assistance to nan country.

Trump was acquitted by nan US Senate.

Bondi sits adjacent to Trump arsenic he speaks astir weapon information successful schools astatine nan White House successful 2018 [Leah Millis/Reuters]

What was nan aid contention about?

Bondi personally solicited a 2013 governmental publication from Trump arsenic her agency was weighing whether to subordinate New York successful suing complete fraud allegations involving Trump University, a for-profit school business.

The Trump Foundation donated $25,000 to a governmental action committee backing her, a imaginable usurpation of a national prohibition connected charities aiding governmental candidates.

When nan aid made headlines successful 2016, Bondi denied nan $25,000 from Trump was connected to her determination not to prosecute action against Trump University, saying her agency made each nan applicable documents public.

Trump’s run attributed nan nonaccomplishment to decently disclose nan aid to a “series of unfortunate coincidences and errors”.

Trump’s namesake charitable instauration agreed to dissolve successful 2018 nether tribunal supervision aft a suit by New York’s lawyer wide accusing Trump of misusing nan instauration to beforehand his 2016 statesmanlike run and his businesses. The instauration was besides ordered to salary a $2m fine.

After Bondi’s information was announced connected Thursday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics successful Washington, a watchdog group, called on nan Senate Judiciary Committee “to thoroughly analyse nan Trump-Bondi scandal”.

What other should we cognize astir Bondi?

More recently, Bondi has served arsenic chairwoman of nan Center for Litigation astatine nan America First Policy Institute, a deliberation vessel group up by erstwhile Trump management staffers to laic nan groundwork if he won a 2nd term.

She has been a vocal professional of nan criminal cases against nan erstwhile president and of Jack Smith, nan special counsel who pursued charges against Trump for his effort to overturn nan 2020 predetermination results arsenic good arsenic his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Bondi was among a group of lawyers to draught an amicus little successful defence of Trump successful the classified documents case, claiming Smith had been unlawfully appointed.

In 1 power appearance, she besides blasted Smith and different prosecutors who person charged Trump arsenic “horrible” group whom she accused of trying to make names for themselves by “going aft Donald Trump and weaponising our ineligible system”.

In 2020, she besides dispersed nan “Big Lie” pushed by Trump and his friends that nan predetermination was stolen from him. “We’ve won Pennsylvania, and we want each ballot to beryllium counted successful a adjacent way,” Bondi said astatine nan time.