The news arrives on the same day Trump’s former AG pick Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration
Less than 24 hours after Matt Gaetz bowed out of consideration to become Donald Trump’s attorney general, the president-elect named former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his next nominee to the head the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again. I have known Pam for many years — She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!“ Trump touted on Truth Social.
Bondi previously served as Florida’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019. In 2020, she was a senior adviser during Trump’s first impeachment trial, and by 2024, she helmed the Center for Litigation at the America First Policy Institute, a right-wing think tank at the center of Trump’s administration’s agenda.
After her final term as Florida AG, Bondi joined lobbying firm Ballard Partners, whose partner Brian Ballard was a top fundraiser for Trump. Bondi worked as a registered lobbyist for Qatar. Bondi was named as part of Trump’s defense team for the Senate impeachment trial in 2020.
Bondi’s career has been marked by several fundraising controversies including a $25,000 donation in 2013 from the Donald J. Trump Foundation to the then-Florida AG while Bondi was reviewing whether to investigate 22 fraud claims against Trump University. Following the donation, Bondi, who was getting ready for a 2014 reelection campaign, declined to take action against Trump University.
In 2016, Trump aides said that his foundation made a mistake with the donation to Bondi, a potential violation of federal rules prohibiting charities from backing political candidates.