Pam Bondi: What To Know About Trump’s AG Pick Facing Senate Confirmation Hearing Today
by Antonio Pequeño IV · ForbesTopline
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, appeared before senators Wednesday for a confirmation hearing, where she detailed her plans for carrying out Trump’s push to eliminate “partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice,” echoing Trump’s claims that the agency has been politicized.
Key Facts
Bondi told the committee, “the partisanship, the weaponization will be gone” and “America will have on tier of justice for all” in her opening statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is conducting Wednesday’s hearing and will vote at some point whether to recommend the full Senate approve Bondi.
Trump nominated Bondi, 59, the former Florida attorney general, to replace his initial AG pick, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., after Gaetz bowed out of the process amid new allegations of sexual misconduct.
Democrats are expected to question Bondi about whether she will prioritize loyalty to Trump, potentially by prosecuting his political opponents, over the core Justice Department mission, as Trump has repeatedly, and baselessly, claimed the agency was working at Biden’s behest when it prosecuted him for allegedly mishandling classified documents and interfering in the election.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the committee’s top Democrat, told Bondi: “I need to know that you would tell the president ‘no’ if you are asked to do something that is wrong, illegal or unconstitutional.”
Bondi told the committee she will “return the Department of Justice to its core mission” by targeting “gangs, drugs, terrorists, cartels, our border and our foreign adversaries.”
Bondi has worked as a prosecutor for more than 18 years, according to her profile page at the Ballard Partners lobbying firm, where she now works, and served as Florida’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019 and was a part of Trump’s legal team during his 2020 impeachment trial.
Bondi is also a 2020 election denier who insisted Trump won Pennsylvania (he lost the state to President Joe Biden by about 81,000 votes) and oversaw voting-related lawsuits following the election, according to The New York Times.
The former Florida AG was once accused of taking a $25,000 donation allegedly linked to her office’s decision to not investigate alleged fraud at Trump University, though she denied the donation’s link to the inaction and avoided charges over a bribery complaint that fell flat in Florida in 2017.
Bondi also served on Trump’s short-lived Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis during his prior administration, which was chaired by former New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie.
Bondi made speaking appearances at some Trump rallies during the latter days of the president-elect’s campaign.
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What Do We Know About Bondi’s Lobbying Work?
After finishing her term as Florida Attorney General in 2019, Bondi joined Ballard Partners—one of Washington’s most influential lobbyist groups during Trump’s first term. Bondi was registered to lobby for several clients including the Government of Qatar, General Motors, Amazon and Major League Baseball. Records from this year show Bondi is registered as a lobbyist for several law enforcement-linked groups including the Florida Sheriffs Association, Florida Sheriffs Risk Management Fund and Major County Sheriffs of America. According to her profile on the Ballard Partners website, she chairs the firm’s Corporate Regulatory Compliance practice. Susie Wiles, the co-chair of Trump’s campaign and the president-elect’s White House Chief Of Staff pick, also worked with the lobbying firm from 2011 to 2022.
What Other Roles Has Bondi Served In Recently?
Bondi is also part of the right-wing pro-Trump think tank America First Policy Institute, which has reportedly been a key influence on the president-elect’s policy agenda. According to her profile on the think tank’s website, Bondi serves as the chair of its Center For Litigation and the co-chair of its Center for Law and Justice. Bondi co-authored several of the think tank’s legal briefs in support of Trump in the New York hush money case and the federal classified documents case.
Tangent
GOP lawmakers reacted positively to Bondi’s nomination, and she’s expected to sail through the confirmation process. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., tweeted: “Ann and I are thrilled for our great friend and our next Attorney General Pam Bondi! For 8 years I worked alongside Pam to keep Florida safe, and I’m looking forward to working with her to keep our nation safe!” Sen. Linsey Graham, R-S.C., said Bondi’s nomination was a “grand slam, touchdown, hole in one, ace, hat trick, slam dunk, Olympic gold medal pick,” adding that she will be “confirmed quickly because she deserves to be confirmed quickly.” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Miss., congratulated Bondi and said, “She’ll be an incredible Attorney General.”
Surprising Fact
Bondi was a somewhat unexpected pick to replace Gaetz, with figures like Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Trump attorney Todd Blanche considered among the top contenders for the role after Gaetz withdrew.
Further Reading
Trump’s Cabinet And Key Jobs: Pam Bondi Picked For AG After Gaetz Withdraws (Forbes)