Just hours after former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general, Trump announced that former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi would be his second choice for the position in his administration.
Bondi, 59, was one of the attorneys who defended Trump during his first Senate impeachment trial.
“I have known Pam for many years — she is smart, tough, and an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
For over a decade, Bondi has been a staunch supporter of Trump and has been involved in several controversies, including the “big lie” promoted by Trump in 2020. She publicly backed the false claim that he had rightfully won Pennsylvania.
In 2013, the Trump Foundation made a $25,000 donation to Bondi’s reelection campaign for attorney general.
At the same time, Bondi’s office had a lawsuit on its desk investigating both Trump and Trump University, but it ultimately did not join the suit.
Both Bondi and Trump denied allegations that the donation influenced her decision not to join the lawsuit, which had been filed by the New York attorney general’s office.
Bondi endorsed Trump’s presidential campaign and spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention, where she led the “lock her up” chant aimed at then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
She also co-chaired Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign and spoke again at the Republican National Convention that year. Bondi served as attorney general from 2010 to 2019 after reaching her two-term limit.
A year later, she joined Trump’s defense team for his first impeachment trial, where he was acquitted in the Senate.
