President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Florida Legal professional Common Pam Bondi on Thursday to move up the U.S. Division of Justice in his second time period—a swift resolution however one met with little shock amongst many in Trump’s orbit.
That’s as a result of Bondi, 59, has emerged as a detailed ally of the president-elect in recent times—together with defending him in his impeachment proceedings, and extra just lately, within the run-up to Election Day, the place she serves because the co-chair of the Middle for Legislation and Justice on the America First Coverage Institute (AFPI) a assume tank arrange by former Trump staffers.
Like former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who withdrew his identify from consideration for lawyer common Thursday afternoon, Bondi is from Florida and is taken into account by many to be a staunch loyalist of the president-elect, devoted to rooting out what the president-elect has described because the “weaponization” of the Justice Division.
Past that, nevertheless, the 2 seem to have little in frequent.
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Pam Bondi speaks throughout a press convention whereas on a break from former President Donald Trump’s hush cash trial exterior Manhattan Felony Court docket in New York Metropolis. (Picture by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Photos) (Getty)
A Florida native, Bondi has spent years as a prosecutor within the Sunshine State—spending 18 as a prosecutor within the Hillsborough County State Legal professional’s Workplace earlier than being elected in 2010 to function Florida’s first feminine lawyer common.
Extra just lately, Bondi has used her perch at AFPI to voice considerations about election safety—a significant subject that Republicans sought to emphasise as they filed a flurry of re-election lawsuits, primarily in main swing states.
If confirmed, it’s possible that Bondi will use her publish to implement a lot of Trump’s tough-on-crime coverage proposals, together with cracking down on cartels, fentanyl, trafficking and extra.
A web site for Trump’s Agenda47 referred to as for insurance policies equivalent to extending the dying penalty for human traffickers, ending welfare for migrants dwelling within the U.S. illegally, and cracking down on violent crime in main cities, which Trump has described as having declined into “cesspools of bloodshed and crime.”
Within the hours after her nomination, nevertheless, it remained unclear how—or whether or not—she deliberate to implement a few of these proposals.
One member of the Trump transition group pointed Fox Information Digital to a extensively circulated clip of CNN authorized analyst Elie Honig highlighting Bondi’s {qualifications} for the function.
“Pam Bondi is, without a question, qualified to be attorney general,” Honig mentioned within the clip, calling her expertise “on par with, or better than, most United States attorneys general that we’ve seen over the past 50 years or so.”
“Even CNN is fawning over her qualifications,” a supply acquainted, who declined to be recognized, informed Fox Information Digital.
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Former Florida Legal professional Common Pam Bondi shows a courtroom order granting Trump’s marketing campaign extra entry to vote counting operations on the Pennsylvania Conference Middle, Nov. 5, 2020, in Philadelphia. (AP Picture/Matt Slocum)
These near Bondi have praised her lengthy report as a prosecutor, and her staunch loyalty to the president-elect, alongside whom she has labored since 2020—first, serving to to symbolize him in his first impeachment trial, and at present in her publish at AFPI.
Bondi is “all about integrity and the proper application of justice and fairness,” mentioned Gianno Caldwell, the pinnacle of the Caldwell Institute of Public Security, a company designed to struggle violent crime. Bondi serves on the advisory board of that group.
“I think she’s going to be able to root out a lot of the bad apples,” Caldwell added. “And return the Justice Department to its traditional focus, which is law and order, and fighting crime.”
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Pam Bondi, former lawyer common of Florida, arrives on the Fiserv Discussion board on the second day of Republican Nationwide Conference in Milwaukee, Wis., on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Name, Inc by way of Getty Photos)
Like different high contenders for the function. Bondi has not been shy in going after Trump critics, together with particular counsel Jack Smith, who was tapped by Legal professional Common Merrick Garland in 2022 to analyze each an alleged effort by Trump and his allies to overturn the outcomes of the 2020 election, and Trump’s holding of allegedly categorised paperwork at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
Smith seems to be winding down his investigation—a welcome aid for the president-elect, who had vowed as a candidate to fireside him “within two seconds” after taking workplace.
Nonetheless, Bondi has shared in Trump’s criticisms, utilizing a current radio interview to explain Smith and his group of prosecutors as “horrible” folks attempting to make a reputation for themselves by “going after Donald Trump and weaponizing our legal system.”
“Attorney General nominee Bondi is looking forward to the confirmation process and answering any questions senators might have,” mentioned Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesman for the Trump transition group.
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Bondi’s life “has been dedicated to keeping Americans safe,” he added. “She looks forward to continuing that work at the Department of Justice.”
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