President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday was forced to choose a new nominee for attorney general after his first choice withdrew from consideration amid a storm of controversy around sexual misconduct allegations.
With former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz out of the running, Trump has turned to another of his most ardent loyalists—Pam Bondi, the onetime attorney general of Florida, to take charge of the Justice Department.
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Although Gaetz has always denied the allegations against him, Trump reportedly called Gaetz before he withdrew to say he wouldn’t get the votes to be confirmed by the Senate. Bondi, by comparison, should have an easier time getting the upper chamber’s approval—but she also is no stranger to controversy.
Hardcore Trump loyalist
Like Trump’s other Cabinet picks, Bondi has been fiercely loyal to Trump. She endorsed Trump’s first candidacy for presidency in March 2016 shortly before the GOP primary in Florida, throwing her support behind him over her own state’s candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).
She then served on Trump’s first transition team at the beginning of his first administration and had previously been in contention for attorney general when Trump’s first official in the role, Jeff Sessions, was given the boot in 2018. William Barr ultimately got the gig instead.
Bondi was also part of the team helping Trump fight his first impeachment trial in 2020, in which Trump was accused but ultimately not convicted of abusing his power over and obstruction of congressional investigations.
At the time, Bondi boosted the messaging of Trump’s other allies attacking the impeachment and accusing Joe Biden—then a private citizen after the end of his vice presidency—of being involved in corruption with his son, Hunter. Those allegations have never been proven.
As well as winning Trump’s approval, Bondi is close with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump. On Tuesday, Bondi backed Lara Trump to replace Rubio in the Senate if he is confirmed as secretary of state. “No one works as hard as Lara Trump,” Bondi said in a statement of support.
Making history
In 2010, Bondi became the first woman to be elected as Florida’s attorney general. She did so after securing the support of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in the primary.
During her time in the role between 2011 and 2019, Bondi took a strong stance on issues including human trafficking and mounted an unsuccessful legal challenge to overturn then-President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. She also started Florida’s litigation against drug companies manufacturing opioids.
In 2013, she was criticized for asking then-Gov. Rick Scott to delay a killer’s execution because it clashed with a fundraiser for her re-election campaign. Bondi apologized for the request and said it wouldn’t happen again.
The Trump University saga
It was also in that year that Bondi’s office received complaints about Trump University, the president-elect’s now-defunct for-profit school.
Her aides claimed Bondi was considering joining a lawsuit brought by New York against Trump University over fraud allegations. After Bondi’s political action committee received a $25,000 check from Trump’s family’s charitable foundation, Bondi’s office chose not to pursue the case.
Both Bondi and Trump have denied wrongdoing over the payment. Trump did eventually pay a $2,500 fine to the IRS in 2016 in relation to the donation, which breached laws against charities supporting political activities. In January 2017, just before his first inauguration, Trump also paid $25 million to settle fraud cases against Trump University.
Spreading the word
After the end of her tenure as Florida’s attorney general, Bondi joined Ballard Partners—the lobbying firm where Susie Wiles, Trump’s campaign chief and new White House chief of staff, was a partner.
Bondi also lobbied on behalf of a Kuwaiti firm, according to the Associated Press, and registered as a foreign agent for the Qatari government. She has also represented the likes of General Motors, Uber, and Amazon, according to The New York Times.
Like other Trump Cabinet picks, Bondi has gained national attention through appearances on Fox News. She supported Trump’s baseless claims about widespread election fraud in the 2020 election and was asked to substantiate claims about “fake ballots” that she made in one awkward exchange during a Fox & Friends interview. Bondi did not back up her claims.
A dog scandal
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem isn’t the only appointee to Trump‘s new administration with a dog-based scandal to her name.
Bondi was once embroiled in a bizarre and very public spat with a Louisiana family whose dog—a St. Bernard named Master Tank—went missing during Hurricane Katrina. The family claimed that Bondi had stolen the dog, while Bondi alleged that the family had neglected their pet.
The family denied the allegation and filed a lawsuit, but the case was settled before going to trial. Bondi returned Master Tank to the family.
