NEW YORK (AP) Donald Trump nominated Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be the next attorney general of the United States on Thursday. Gaetz, his original pick, withdrew from consideration after a federal sex trafficking investigation and ethics probe cast doubt on his ability to be approved.
The 59-year-old has been close to Trump for a long time, and during his first administration, her name was mentioned as a possible contender for the top law enforcement position in the country.
Given the Republican vow to seek retribution against alleged enemies and the Democratic fear that he will try to manipulate the Justice Department to suit his interests, Bondi would immediately become one of the most carefully watched members of Trump’s Cabinet if approved by the Republican-led Senate.
Here are some facts on Bondi:
She has been a constant in Trump’s universe for a long time.
Bondi was an early and enduring ally. Bondi chose Trump over Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the candidate from her own state, during a rally in March 2016, the night before the Republican primary in Florida.
She made global headlines as a Trump supporter on Fox News and had a prominent speaking engagement at the 2016 Republican global Convention, where Trump emerged as the party’s unexpected nominee. Some audience members started screaming “lock her up” in reference to Trump’s Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton during the speech.
In response, Bondi said, “I love that you locked her up.”
She was part of Trump’s first transition team as he got ready to move into the White House.
When Jeff Sessions, Trump’s first attorney general, was fired in 2018, Bondi’s name was mentioned as a potential replacement. At the time, Trump expressed his desire for Bondi to become a member of the government. In the end, he chose William Barr instead.
She continued to have influence over Trump even after he stepped down from government. She chaired the America First Policy Institute, a think organization founded by former Trump administration employees to prepare the environment for his potential reelection.
She served as the first female attorney general of Florida.
When Bondi was elected as Florida’s first female attorney general in 2010, she created history. The Tampa native was a political unknown when she occupied the state’s highest law enforcement position, despite having worked as a prosecutor for more than 18 years in the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office.
After former Alaska governor and vice presidential contender Sarah Palin endorsed Bondi, she rose in the race.
She ran on a platform of vigorously contesting then-President Barack Obama’s hallmark health care bill and using the state’s top legal position. She also demanded that her state follow Arizona’s controversial “show me your papers” immigration statute.
Bondi, Florida’s top prosecutor, emphasized the problem of human trafficking and called for the state to strengthen its anti-trafficking legislation. She served in that capacity from 2011 until 2019.
She represented both domestic and international clients as a lobbyist.
Bondi was a lobbyist for Ballard Partners, a prominent Florida-based business that included Susie Wiles, the incoming chief of staff and the head of Trump’s campaign. Among her U.S. clients are a Christian anti-human-trafficking advocacy group, the commissioner of Major League Baseball, and General Motors.
According to congressional lobbying data and Justice Department foreign agent forms, she also pushed for a Kuwaiti company. She worked for the Qatari government as a foreign agent, specializing in anti-human trafficking initiatives before the 2022 World Cup.
Additionally, Bondi lobbied the White House, National Security Council, State Department, and Congress on matters pertaining to immigration policy, human rights, and economic sanctions on behalf of the Kuwaiti company KGL Investment Company KSCC, also known as KGLI.
During Trump’s initial impeachment trial, she represented him.
In 2020, Bondi left lobbying to join Trump’s legal team during his initial impeachment trial.
He was charged, but not found guilty, of abusing his position of authority by reportedly urging the Ukrainian president to look into his Democratic opponents while vital U.S. security assistance was being denied. He was also accused of obstructing Congress by obstructing investigations.
Trump wanted the president of Ukraine to openly pledge to look into Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son, who was a board member of a Ukrainian gas business. He held up around $400 million in military aid while pushing for the probe.
Bondi was hired to support the White House’s communications and messaging. In an attempt to dismiss the impeachment as a farce, Trump and his supporters worked to undermine its legitimacy from the beginning.
She has expressed disapproval of Trump’s criminal cases.
Both Bondi and Jack Smith, the special counsel who charged Trump in two federal cases, have been outspoken opponents of the criminal charges against Trump. She attacked Smith and other prosecutors who had accused Trump in a radio interview, calling them vile individuals who were attempting to gain notoriety by attacking Donald Trump and using our judicial system as a weapon.
Smith filed two federal indictments against Trump, all of which are anticipated to be resolved before the next president takes office, so it is unlikely that Bondi would be confirmed in time to overlap with Smith.Although it is unknown when such a document may be made public, special counsels are supposed to make reports on their work that are traditionally made public.
Bondi was also one of several Republicans who attended Trump’s criminal trial for hush money in New York, which concluded in May after he was found guilty on 34 felony counts.
As president, Trump wanted to utilize the Justice Department’s law enforcement authority to further his personal agenda, including attempting to change the 2020 election results, and demanded probes into political rivals including Hillary Clinton. It seems likely that Bondi will comply.
She would take over a Justice Department that is anticipated to make a significant shift in its focus on corporate enforcement, civil rights, and the prosecution of hundreds of Trump supporters accused of participating in the disturbance at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, as well as defendants that Trump has promised to pardon.
She has experienced some personal political difficulties.
While serving as attorney general in 2013, Bondi publicly apologized for trying to postpone a convicted murderer’s execution because it coincided with a fundraiser for her reelection campaign.
On the day of execution, the attorney general, who represents the state in death row appeals, usually stays available in case there are any last-minute legal concerns.
Bondi later apologized and admitted that she was mistaken for asking then-Governor Rick Scott to postpone Marshall Lee Gore’s execution by three weeks.
Bondi directly asked Trump for a political donation in 2013 while her office considered joining New York in a lawsuit over Trump University fraud claims.
In defiance of the law’s ban on charities funding partisan political operations, Trump sent a $25,000 payment from his family’s nonprofit foundation to a political organization that backed Bondi. Bondi’s office decided against suing Trump’s corporation for fraud once the payment arrived, stating that there were not enough grounds to move forward. Bondi and Trump both denied any wrongdoing.
Trump paid $25 million to resolve three lawsuits alleging Trump University scammed its students two days before to taking the oath of office in January 2017.
In addition, Trump paid the IRS a $2,500 fee for using the Donald J. Trump Foundation—which he was compelled to disband during a New York state investigation—to make an illegal political gift to support Bondi.
Later, a Florida prosecutor appointed by then-GOP Governor Rick Scott concluded that there was not enough proof to bring bribery charges against Bondi and Trump over the $25,000 donation.
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From Washington, Long reported. This article was written by Michael Biesecker of the Associated Press.
The Associated Press, 2024. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. It is prohibited to publish, broadcast, rewrite, or redistribute this content without authorization.
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