President-elect Donald Trump wasted little time selecting another candidate for attorney general after Matt Gaetz dropped his bid amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
Pam Bondi, Florida’s attorney general for eight years, was part of Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial and supported false claims of fraud after the 2020 election. He has been in Trump’s orbit ever since, continuing to advise on legal matters.
Despite his shock, Bondi appears to be at ease with Trump’s goal of revamping the Justice Department and pursuing retribution against political opponents.
“For too long, the partisan Justice Department has been armed against me and other Republicans, no longer,” Trump wrote in Bondi’s official announcement for attorney general. “Pam will refocus DOJ on its mission to fight crime and make America safe again.”
In this Feb. 22, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump looks on as Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a meeting with state and local officials about school safety in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
In an August 2023 appearance on Fox News, Bondi spoke out against the criminal charges against Trump and what Fox host Sean Hannity described as a “two-tier justice system”.
“When the Republicans take back the White House, and we’re back in 18 months or less, you know what’s going to happen? The Department of Justice, they’re going to prosecute the prosecutors — the bad ones — they’re going to be the investigators. investigate,” he said.
“They were hiding in the shadows because of the depth of the situation during President Trump’s last term,” Bondi continued. “But now, they have a focus and they can all be investigated … We can clean house in the next term and that’s what needs to happen.”
He also said that action could be taken against President Joe Biden The accusations of the Republic That Biden was personally involved in and profited from his family’s foreign business dealings has yet to be backed up by direct evidence.
“When we have a new administration, absolutely, Sean. It’s necessary,” Bondi said at the time.
The comments echo those of Trump himself oaths taken during the campaign going after his alleged political enemies, intelligence officers, prosecutors and more.
Trump led the “lock her up” chants against Hillary Clinton in 2016, even though he never legally went after her once in office. Bondi, at the 2016 convention, when the crowd chanted “Lock him up,” replied, “‘Lock him up, I love that.’
In this Nov. 4, 2020, file photo, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, center, speaks at a news conference on legal challenges to the vote count in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On the left is Lara Trump, President Trump’s daughter and on the right is Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s lawyer.
Matt Slocum/AP, FILE
Bondi was also a vocal supporter of Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election, helping to file several unsuccessful lawsuits alleging voter fraud.
He appeared on the side Rudy Giuliani In Philadelphia, the day after the 2020 race, Trump declared that he had “won Pennsylvania” as the votes were counted. The state favored President Biden by about 80,000 votes.
Critics say the comments raise questions about whether law enforcement can be trusted.
“As AG, would he drop cases against violent rioters? Continue to push the Big Lie under oath?” Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who will enter the Senate next year, wrote to X: “He will have to answer these questions and many more during his confirmation hearings.”
ABC News’ Soorin Kim and Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.
