By President-elect Donald Trump swiftly nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as U.S. attorney general Thursday, just hours after controversial first choice Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration amid ongoing scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation.
Bondi, a staunch Trump loyalist who served on his first impeachment defense team, would oversee a dramatic shift in Justice Department priorities if confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate. “For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore,” Trump declared on social media. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.”
The rapid replacement of Gaetz with Bondi demonstrates the transition team’s preparedness for potential confirmation battles, as predicted by Donald Trump Jr. in a Sunday Fox Business interview. The nomination comes as Trump’s administration faces increasing scrutiny over controversial cabinet picks, including Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, who faces unresolved sexual assault allegations.
Bondi brings significant political baggage to the nomination, having been a vocal critic of Special Counsel Jack Smith and other prosecutors who brought criminal charges against Trump. In one radio appearance, she characterized them as “horrible” people seeking notoriety by “going after Donald Trump and weaponizing our legal system.”
If confirmed, Bondi would join recently announced senior Justice Department appointees Todd Blanche, Emil Bove, and D. John Sauer, all former Trump attorneys. She would face immediate challenges managing the department’s stance on January 6 prosecutions, which Trump has pledged to pardon, and implementing what’s expected to be a significant shift in civil rights and corporate enforcement policies.
The nomination follows Gaetz’s withdrawal statement claiming his confirmation had become “a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.” Trump later praised Gaetz’s efforts on social media, noting he “was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration.”
Bondi’s tenure as Florida attorney general included controversy, notably a 2013 public apology for delaying an execution to attend a campaign fundraiser. She currently chairs the America First Policy Institute, a think tank established by former Trump administration officials.
The next attorney general will inherit a Justice Department potentially transformed by recent Supreme Court opinions affirming presidential authority over investigative functions and expanding former presidential immunity. While Special Counsel Smith’s Trump prosecutions are expected to conclude before the transition, questions remain about the public release of his final reports.
