Trump nominates Pam Bondi as US Attorney General

The US President-elect Donald Trump has after that retreat of his preferred candidate Matt Gaetz a former prosecutor as future Minister of Justice nominated. Pam Bondi (59) was, among other things, Attorney General of Florida – and was part of Trump’s legal team in the first impeachment trial against him. Trump had originally earmarked the controversial Congressman Gaetz for the post. However, he gave up a few hours earlier.

Trump emphasized that Bondi was a prosecutor for around 20 years. In Gaetz’s case, one of the criticisms was that he had no legal expertise or enough experience for the job.

The Justice Department could play a key role in Trump’s second term in office – among other things because of the ongoing criminal proceedings against the president-elect.

Trump: Justice Department exploited against Republicans

Trump also addressed this in a message on his online network Truth Socia: The US Department of Justice has been used against him and other Republicans for too long, he said. This is now over. Bondi will “refocus the Justice Department on its core purpose” of fighting crime and restoring security in the United States, Trump said. He described the lawyer as a fighter for an “America First” policy.

During her time as Attorney General of the state of Florida, Bondi continued Trump’s policies through legal means: she took action against the health care reform of Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama and investigated unsubstantiated allegations of election fraud by the Democrats.

In 2013, the Trump Foundation donated $25,000 to Bondi’s campaign for re-election as attorney general. A little later, Bondi decided not to further investigate allegations against Trump University, an educational institution run by the billionaire that was suspected of fraud. Both sides denied any connection.

The 59-year-old also stood by the then president in the first impeachment trial against him in Congress in 2019.

In recent months, she has made TV appearances criticizing the cases against Trump and portraying it as if he was being pursued by the investigating prosecutors for political motives.

Gaetz, the preferred candidate, withdrew after allegations

Gaetz’s nomination was torpedoed by allegations that he had had sex with a minor and consumed drugs. The 42-year-old always rejected both. However, several Republican senators publicly doubted that Gaetz would be confirmed by the congressional chamber.

Given the narrow Republican majority among the 100 senators, a ministerial appointment would fail with just four no votes from their camp. Bondi may have a much better chance of getting through the House of Congress.