Donald Trump nominates Pam Bondi for US attorney-general after Matt Gaetz drops out

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US president-elect Donald Trump has nominated Pam Bondi for attorney-general just hours after Matt Gaetz, his initial pick, withdrew from consideration for the role.

The unexpected move injected fresh drama into Trump’s selection of cabinet nominees, as he seeks to swiftly secure a head for the Department of Justice, one of the most important posts in his incoming administration.

The new attorney-general will need to be confirmed by a majority of US senators.

A two-term state attorney-general from Florida, Bondi is seen as a less controversial pick than Gaetz, who had limited legal experience and was previously under investigation by the DoJ for allegedly having a sexual relationship with an underage girl.

While no charges were ever brought, he was also the subject of a long-running congressional investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and drug use. The investigation was shelved when Gaetz, 42, resigned his congressional seat last week. Gaetz has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

Bondi is a longtime Trump ally who was part of his legal defence team in his first impeachment trial and defended the president-elect’s efforts to question the result of the 2020 election, including overseeing the filing of voting-related lawsuits in several states.

“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans — Not anymore,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Thursday. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.”

He added that Bondi was “smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!”

Gaetz endorsed the pick, saying in a post on X that Bondi was a “stellar selection” who would “bring the needed reforms to DOJ”.

Other Trump allies expressed confidence that unlike Gaetz, Bondi would face few problems in being confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate.

South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham posted on X that Bondi was a “grand slam, touchdown, hole in one, ace, hat trick, slam dunk, Olympic gold medal pick,” adding: “She will be confirmed quickly because she deserves to be confirmed quickly.”

Bondi served as Florida attorney-general from 2011 to 2019. She then joined Ballard Partners, an influential lobbying firm with close ties to Trump. Susie Wiles, Trump’s pick for White House chief of staff, worked at the firm for nearly a decade.

Bondi chairs Ballard’s corporate regulatory compliance practice. She has lobbied the federal government on behalf of General Motors, Amazon, Uber, Qatar’s government and other clients.

She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bondi is also chair of the litigation centre at the America First Policy Institute, a rightwing think-tank aligned with Trump and led by his transition co-chair Linda McMahon.

In this role, she has crafted “friend of the court” filings in support of the president-elect, including one arguing that the appointment of Jack Smith — the special counsel picked by US attorney-general Merrick Garland to oversee federal probes targeting Trump — was unconstitutional.

As attorney-general, Bondi would have the power to appoint special counsels.

Trump and Bondi were scrutinised in 2016 over a $25,000 donation that Trump, then a real estate magnate, made in 2013 to her re-election campaign for Florida attorney-general.

Days after the donation was received, Bondi decided not to proceed with an investigation into alleged fraud at Trump University, a now defunct for-profit college.

Both Trump and Bondi have long denied any connection between the donation and Bondi’s decision in the case.