Nov. 21 (UPI) — President-elect Donald Trump nominated former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi for U.S. Attorney General late on Thursday after his first pick, former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration.
Bondi, currently a lawyer in private practice, served as Florida’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019. Her nomination would have to be approved by the Senate.
“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans — Not anymore,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.”
Bondi, 59, is a longtime Trump ally who acted as one of his defense attorneys during his first impeachment trial in 2019.
“She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General,” the president-elect said.
Bondi’s nomination came only hours after Gaetz announced he had withdrawn from consideration for the job.
Trump’s initial pick of the right-wing GOP firebrand had generated displeasure from several Republican lawmakers due to the controversy over Gaetz’s connection to a federal sex trafficking investigation.
His withdrawal announcement comes a day after he met with Republican senators on Capitol Hill.
“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many,” Gaetz wrote in a post on X. “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.
“There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.”
