Pam Bondi, Trump's new pick for attorney general

President-elect Donald Trump has found a backup to be the country's top law enforcement officer, nominating Pam Bondi to be the U.S. attorney general. Trump tapped Bondi for the job after his initial pick, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), bowed out of contention amid sexual misconduct and sex trafficking allegations.

Gaetz was seen as a hardline loyalist to the incoming president, and Trump has found someone similar in Bondi. Previously the Florida attorney general, Bondi was one of Trump's defense lawyers during his first impeachment trial and has been closely aligned with him since he left office. With his return to the White House imminent, Republicans will look to get Bondi's appointment confirmed through the Senate — a move Trump's first choice was unable to accomplish.

Bondi's previous career

Bondi, 59, was born in Florida. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida before completing her JD at Stetson University. After college, Bondi "spent more than 18 years as a prosecutor in the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office," said Al Jazeera. She was elected Florida's first woman attorney general in 2010, holding the office from 2011 to 2019.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

As Florida's AG, Bondi "stressed human trafficking issues and urged tightening state laws against traffickers," said Al Jazeera. After leaving office as Florida's attorney general, Bondi started maintaining close ties with then-President Trump while taking up a role at the lobbying firm Ballard Partners. She was most notably a "senior adviser on Trump's first impeachment defense team," a role for which she took a leave from Ballard Partners, said The Hill.

Bondi went back to the lobbying firm following the impeachment and is still a "partner at Ballard Partners, which is also where Trump's incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles worked," said The Hill. Throughout her time at the firm, Bondi has "lobbied on behalf of the Qatari government." She also recently spent time working for the Trump-supporting America First Policy Institute.

Bondi and Trump

Bondi's longstanding relationship with Trump, which goes back to before he entered politics, has some questioning her potential role as attorney general. Most notable involves a "controversial $25,000 contribution that Trump's foundation gave to Bondi's political action committee during her 2014 reelection bid," said CNN. Some lawmakers "accused Bondi of declining to pursue an investigation into Trump University fraud allegations after receiving the donation," though she was eventually cleared of wrongdoing by a Florida ethics panel.

Bondi's "history in court at times touched hot-button issues, repeatedly landing her in the news," said CNN. She also became "increasingly partisan during her two terms in office, making regular appearances on Fox News and then becoming a top Florida surrogate for Trump during his 2016 campaign."

This means that, if confirmed, Bondi "appears likely to oblige" Trump on his request for federal investigations into people he believes are political opponents, said The Associated Press. She also "supported his false claims of fraud following the 2020 election" and "seems easily positioned to pick up the mantle on Trump's goal of overhauling the Justice Department and his pledge for retribution," said ABC News.

Unlike Gaetz, Bondi "doesn't radiate scandal," said Politico. But "when Trump has faced threats to his political career and livelihood, Bondi has been there." Bondi has also mentioned the supposed weaponization of the Justice Department. However, while Gaetz has spoken of his "distrust of federal spying programs, called for breaking up and relocating the FBI and demanded an end to Jan. 6 prosecutions," Bondi has "remained publicly silent on these specific issues," so it is unclear to what extent she would follow Gaetz on that path.