Sex and drug scandal quickly sent Gaetz to the exit, now Trump chooses an equally loyal, but more experienced attorney general

It took Donald Trump just six hours to appoint a new nominee for Minister of Justice for his future government. According to American media, loyal ally Pam Bondi had previously been considered for the position due to her unconditional support during Trump’s lawsuits. Then Matt Gaetz – controversial due to, among other things, accusations of sex trafficking with underage girlspaid thousands of euros for sex with other women and misused campaign funds for private purposes –donderdag announced that he was withdrawing, things happened quickly.

Gaetz has seen his chances of being approved by the Senate increasingly shrink in recent days. The firebrand from Florida was accused, among other things, of being involved in sex trafficking with underage girls, of paying thousands of euros for sex with other women and of misusing campaign funds for private purposes. The investigation into him by the House of Representatives ethics committee was stopped when Trump appointed Gaetz for the ministerial post.

Testimonies about Gaetz’s sexual misconduct and drug use, and continued pressure to make the investigation public, forced Gaetz to the exit. On Trump is also convinced of this. “For too long, the partisan ministry has been weaponized against me and other Republicans. Not anymore,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Pam will return the Department of Justice to its intended purpose, which is to fight crime and make America a safe place.”

Role in legal cases

With Bondi, Trump opts for less controversy and more experience. She worked as a prosecutor for eighteen years before becoming the first female attorney general in the state of Florida in 2010. During her two terms in that role, she opposed abortion, gay marriage, migration and former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

She later took on leadership roles legal departments of the America First Policy Institute, a radical conservative think tank that assisted Trump during his campaigns. She also joined the powerful lobbying firm Ballard Partners, which raises funds for Trump and where his chosen chief of staff Susie Wiles also worked.

Her ties to Trump grew stronger when she defended him during his first term as part of his legal team in the impeachment proceedings against him. Even after Trump’s first term, Bondi continued to play an important role in his legal entourage. So she tried the electionto question and challenge Joe Biden’s victory. With false claims about election fraud and corruption, she became a popular guest on Fox News. Earlier this year, she also flew to New York to support Trump in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.

Conflict of interest

Because she had been in his entourage for years, Bondi would have already been considered for a role within the government during Trump’s first presidential term. According to CNN, the consideration that it could be rejected by the Senate would have put a stop to things at the time. (Continue reading below the image)

Bondi arrived in 2016 well discredited when it emerged that she had received 25,000 dollars (almost 24,000 euros) from a Trump-funded foundation during her re-election campaign. During the same period, as attorney general in Florida, she declined to prosecute Trump University, despite a fraud conviction in New York. Both Trump and Bondi insisted there was no conflict of interest, although Trump had to pay a $2,500 fine. According to an ethics committee in Florida, Bondi did not commit a violation.

As a minister With a Republican majority in the Senate and many years of experience under his belt, Bondi initially has a much better chance in the Senate than Gaetz. That would mean that Trump’s loyal ally will not only have direct control over legislation and law enforcement, but also over the public prosecutor’s office and the cases it conducts. The federal charges that special counsel Jack Smith filed against Trump may al would have bled to death when Bondi would take up her ministerial role. But the lawsuits against the Capitol stormers from January 6, 2021 could still be thwarted by Bondi.