More from the party of Rapist'sRus, part 6.
She let the pedophile rapist Jeffrey Epstein slide: Trump's latest corrupt Cabinet pick.
Less than 24 hours after former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) withdrew his name from consideration for Attorney General, President-Elect Donald Trump announced Gaetz's replacement for the nomination.
"I am proud to announce former Attorney General of the Great State of Florida, Pam Bondi, as our next Attorney General of the United States," Trump wrote via Truth Social.
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).
Bondi was an early supporter of Trump, endorsing him in March 2016.
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.
Bondi was by Trump’s when he was president and she was Florida attorney general.
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.
A slew of legal experts and journalists quickly reacted to the news, many criticizing the president-elect's choice.
Rochester Institute of Technology law professor David Cay Johnston commented: "Pam Bondi, Trump's new AG pick, is so corrupt. She took an illegal $25,000 campaign donation from the Trump Foundation. Bondi kept the money (!!!), given when -- as Florida AG -- she shut down her office's investigation of the utterly fraudulent Trump University."
Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell added: "Hi America. If you want to understand why Donald Trump likes Pam Bondi, know this: Complaints were filed about Trump U. in with attorneys general in two states. - NY's AG pursued and got a $25 million settlement - Trump gave Bondi $25k, and she did nothing."
Human Rights Campaign national press secretary Brandon Wolf replied: Two days after my best friends and 47 others were murdered at Pulse Nightclub, Pam Bondi tried to paint herself as a friend to the community. She hoped we’d forget that, just TWO years earlier, she said our freedom to marry would cause 'significant public harm.' We didn’t."
