By Jim Turner ©2024 The News Service of Florida
TALLAHASSEE — Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was part of President-elect Donald Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial, was nominated Thursday by Trump to serve as U.S. attorney general.
Here are other Pam Bondi stories on wmnf.org
The appointment came hours after former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to lead the Department of Justice.
Trump said Bondi, a former Hillsborough County prosecutor who was elected state attorney general in 2010 and re-elected in 2014, will “refocus” the Department of Justice, a role he expected Gaetz to play.
“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans — Not anymore,” Trump said in a statement posted on Truth Social. “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 American First Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General.”
Bondi, a Tampa native who is close to members of Trump’s inner circle including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, worked as an assistant state attorney in Hillsborough County for 18 years before running for the state Cabinet office. She was known in the Tampa area for prosecuting high-profile cases and elsewhere for working as a legal expert for Fox News.
Term limits barred Bondi from seeking a third term as state attorney general, and she worked for the Ballard Partners lobbying firm after leaving office in 2019. That year, she was hired by the Trump administration to assist in his impeachment defense, as the then-president faced accusations that included trying to improperly influence Ukraine to provide damaging information about the Biden family.
After the Bondi nomination was announced Thursday night, Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried said Trump considers loyalty “the only qualification that matters” and raised concerns that Bondi will assist the president-elect in dismantling the Affordable Care Act.
“Americans dodged a bullet with Gaetz’s withdrawal but Trump’s second choice for attorney general is no better,” Fried said in a statement. “Don’t forget — Pam Bondi tried to take health care away from millions of Floridians. She was the ringleader in the attempt to sue the Affordable Care Act out of existence and overturn the pre-existing conditions rule. She filed the original suit and was the lead plaintiff on the case seeking to dismantle affordable care. When Donald Trump says he’s going to end the ACA, believe him now that he’s nominated Pam Bondi to finish the job.”
Amid scrutiny over an unreleased House ethics report, Gaetz announced Thursday that he would not continue pursuing the attorney general job after meeting Wednesday with U.S. senators. The Senate would have had to confirm Gaetz to head the Department of Justice.
“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback — and the incredible support of so many,” Gaetz posted on X. “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.”
Gaetz has not announced future plans, including if he would seek to return to the congressional seat, which he won with 66 percent of the vote on Nov. 5 before resigning. He responded Thursday on X to Vice President-elect JD Vance by saying, “I look forward to continuing the fight to save our country. Just maybe from a different post.”
Gaetz also offered praise to Bondi, calling her “a stellar selection.”
“Pam and I worked closely together when she was Florida’s Attorney General and I chaired Criminal Justice in the state house,” Gaetz wrote in a post on X. “She’s a proven litigator, an inspiring leader and a champion for all Americans. She will bring the needed reforms to DOJ.”
Gaetz resigned from his Northwest Florida congressional seat on Nov. 13, hours after getting Trump’s nomination for attorney general. He wrote the resignation was “effective immediately” and that “I do not intend” to take the oath of office with the new Congress in January.
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