Hours after former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his name as a candidate for attorney general, President-elect Trump nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his attorney general nominee.
“For too long, a partisan Justice Department has been used as a weapon against me and other Republicans, and that will no longer be the case,” Trump said in a statement. “Pam will refocus the Department of Justice on its original purpose: fighting crime and making America safe again.
“I have known Pam for many years. She is smart, tough, and America's first warrior, and she will do a great job as Attorney General!”
Bondi is chair of the Litigation Center and co-chair of the Center for Law and Justice at the America First Policy Institute.
President-elect Trump announces Pam Bondi as his new attorney general nominee
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Bondi worked as a prosecutor before becoming Florida's first female attorney general.
Bondi, 59, is a Tampa native who earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of Florida and a law degree from Stetson School of Law. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1991.
She has worked as a prosecutor in the Hillsborough County State's Attorney's Office for more than 18 years, trying cases ranging from domestic violence to murder.
President-elect Trump has nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his attorney general nominee after former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his name as a candidate for attorney general. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
Bondi made history in 2010 as the state's first female attorney general. Her campaign emphasized challenging the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and later focused on human trafficking issues after taking office. She also shut down pill mills and tackled the state's opioid crisis, among other things.
She held that position until 2019.
Mr. Bondi has worked closely with Mr. Trump, including on his defense team during his first impeachment trial.
Bondi served as one of Trump's defense attorneys in 2020 after he was first impeached on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
When the House sent the articles of impeachment to the Senate, Bondi said, “They're not charging the president with anything because he's done nothing wrong.” “There was no crime. The records of that phone call speak for themselves.”
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Mr. Bondi also served on the Opioid and Substance Abuse Commission during President Trump's first administration. In his role on the committee, Mr. Bondi worked with national leaders on drug prevention and treatment.
Bondi is a partner in a lobbying firm with ties to Trump and his incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
Bondi is a partner at Ballard Partners, a Florida-based lobbying firm founded by Brian Ballard. Bondi splits his time between Florida and Washington, D.C., where he leads the firm's corporate regulatory practice.
Susie Wiles, President Trump's incoming chief of staff, is also said to have ties to the company, having become a partner in the company after Trump won in 2016. (Getty)
The D.C. firm represented a variety of corporate clients during President Trump's first term, earning more than $70 million in lobbying fees, according to federal disclosures.
President Trump's incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, also works at the firm, having become a partner in the firm after Trump's victory in 2016.
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Bondi has been an ardent supporter of Trump throughout his legal troubles.
Bondi has been a vocal critic of Trump's prosecution, even appearing with him in New York City during his hush money trial.
Bondi has been a vocal critic of Trump's prosecution and even appeared alongside the former president in New York City during his hush money trial. (Getty)
“They're talking like it's a first-degree murder case, but Trace, I've tried a lot of trials and I've never seen a case like this,” Bondi told President Trump of murder. he told Fox News host Trace Gallagher in April, shortly after he was sentenced. Gag order in New York case.
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“They're trying to gag him not just about his First Amendment rights, but about protecting himself,” Bondi said at the time.
Fox News Digital's Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
