Washington Just hours after his other candidate, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration, President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday appointed Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, as the next attorney general of the United States.
Longtime Trump buddy Bondi represented him in his first impeachment trial, where he was charged—but not found guilty—with abusing his position of authority by attempting to get U.S. military aid to Ukraine contingent on Ukraine looking into former Vice President Joe Biden.
Bondi was 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. The America First Policy Institute, a think tank founded by former Trump administration employees, has her as its chair.
Trump stated on social media that the biased Department of Justice has been used as a weapon against him and other Republicans for far too long. Pam will bring the DOJ back to its original mission of combating crime and restoring America’s safety.
On Sunday, Donald Trump Jr., Trump’s son, told Fox Business that the transition team had alternatives in mind for his contentious choices in case they weren’t confirmed. Bondi was quickly selected approximately six hours after Gaetz’s withdrawal.
Gaetz resigned in the midst of ongoing controversy about a federal sex trafficking probe that raised questions about his suitability for the position of leading federal law enforcement officer in the country.
The statement ended a tumultuous eight-day period during which Trump attempted to use his resounding election victory to pressure Senate Republicans into accepting controversial choices like Gaetz, who was investigated by the Justice Department before being appointed to lead it last week. Other contentious Trump nominees, such as Portland pick Pete Hegseth, who is accused of sexual assault but denies it, may come under further scrutiny as a result of the decision.
Despite the high momentum, it is evident that my confirmation was unjustly taking attention away from the crucial work being done during the Trump/Vance Transition. Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, said in a statement that he had visited with senators the day before to try to get their support.
I will be removing my name from consideration for the position of Attorney General because there is no time to squander on an unnecessary, drawn-out Washington dispute. He emphasized that Trump’s DOJ needs to be operational and prepared on Day 1. Gaetz said on social media a few hours later that he was looking forward to carrying on the battle to rescue our nation, but he added, “Maybe from a different post.”
In a social media post, Trump expressed his gratitude for Matt Gaetz’s recent efforts to obtain clearance to serve as Attorney General. Although he was doing extremely well, he did not want to cause any trouble for the Administration, which he really admires. I’m excited to see all the amazing things Matt will accomplish in the future.
Trump appointed personal attorneys Todd Blanche, Emil Bove, and D. John Sauer to high-level positions inside the department last week. Matt Whitaker, another potential candidate for attorney general, was named the U.S. ambassador to NATO on Wednesday.
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