Trump announces Pam Bondi as his choice for CEO to replace Matt Gaetz

On the same day that former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrawn from consideration while serving as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general, Trump announced that the former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is his second choice for the role in his administration.

Bondi, 59, has remained in Trump’s inner circle for many years and continues to advise him on legal matters. She was one of the lawyers who defended Trump during his first impeachment trial in the Senate.

“I’ve known Pam for many years. She is smart and strong and she is AMERICA’S FIRST fighter who will do a great job as Attorney General!” Trump said this in a post on Truth Social.

Bondi’s candidacy must be confirmed by the Senate. She did not immediately comment on Trump’s statement.

For more than a decade, Bondi has been a key Trump supporter and has been involved in several controversies, including Trump’s 2020 “big lie.” She publicly supported the false claim that he rightfully won the battle in Pennsylvania. .

In 2013, the Trump Foundation sent a $25,000 donation to Bondi’s fundraising committee for her attorney general re-election campaign.

Around the same time, on the table in Bondi’s office was lawsuit it tested both Trump himself and Trump University but ultimately did not join the lawsuit.

Bondi and Trump have both denied allegations that the donation led to her decision not to join the lawsuit, which was filed by the New York attorney general’s office.

She supported Trump in his presidential race and spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention, leading chants of “Lock her up” against then-Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.

She also co-chaired the Trump campaign and spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention.

Bondi was elected attorney general in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. She left office after reaching her two-term limit in 2019.

A year later, she was selected to be part of Trump’s defense team for his first impeachment trial. He was acquitted in the Senate.

Bondi has also been a registered lobbyist since 2019 with Brian Ballard’s firm Ballard Partners. Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is also a lobbyist for the firm.

Bondi’s recent clients include the Florida Sheriffs’ Association, the Florida Sheriffs’ Risk Management Foundation and the Major County Sheriffs of America. Her quarterly fees range from $20,000 to $50,000, federal lobbying records show.

She previously represented investment firms and corporate clients such as Amazon, General Motors, MLB, Fidelity, Uber and GEO Group, a private prison company, according to documents.

In 2019 and 2020, Bondi provided consulting and advocacy services on behalf of the Embassy of the State of Qatar on “matters related to combating human trafficking,” foreign lobbying disclosures filed by Ballard Partners show. Bondi registered as a foreign agent of the Qatari government as part of her lobbying activities.

After his impeachment trial, Bondi remained on Trump’s legal team while he campaigned in 2020 and repeatedly made false claims of election fraud when he lost to Joe Biden.

She most recently became a member of the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank founded by former Trump administration officials. According to the think tank’s website, she is chair of the AFPI Litigation Center and co-chair of the Center for Law and Justice.

Bondi and AFPI attorneys have been involved in pre-election litigation in battleground states during this year’s elections.

Trump has previously appointed other of his personal lawyers to senior positions at the Justice Department, including Todd Blanche, Emile Beauvais and D. John Sauer.