Trump chooses Pam Bondi as attorney general after Gaetz withdraws

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks before former President Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, during a campaign rally at the First Horizon Coliseum November 2 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Alex Brandon/Associated Press

WASHINGTON President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he will nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department, turning to a longtime ally after his first choice, Matt Gaetz, has withdrawn his name from consideration of sex trafficking allegations.

Bondi is a staunch supporter of Trump. She was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial, when he was accused but not convicted of abuse of power while trying to condition U.S. military assistance to Ukraine on that country investigating former Vice President Biden. And she was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump during his criminal trial in New York, which ended in May with a conviction on 34 counts.

For too long, the partisan Justice Department has been used as a weapon against me and other Republicans. Not anymore, Trump said in a social media post. Pam will refocus the DOJ on its goal of fighting crime and making America safe again.

Gaetz stepped down amid continuing fallout from a federal sex trafficking investigation that has cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation's federal law enforcement chief. Gaetzs vehemently denied the allegations, but his appointment stunned many career lawyers within the Justice Department. Gaetz, who passed the bar but barely worked as a lawyer, had very little experience relevant to the position. Bondi has years of legal work under his belt and that other trait Trump values ​​above all else: loyalty.

Gaetz's hasty withdrawal and rapid pivot to Bondi are the latest examples of Trump's tumultuous decision-making as he rushes through nominations of questionable character and credentials at a breakneck pace without government oversight, which is typical presidential transitions. It bodes well that, despite his most organized campaign for the White House this year, his return to the Oval Office could feature the same kind of drama that permeated his first term.

Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., told Fox News Sunday Morning Futures that the transition team has reinforcements in mind for its controversial nominees in case they are not confirmed.

Yet even in Trump’s world, things have moved quickly. Trump sought to capitalize on his decisive election victory to force Senate Republicans to accept provocative picks like Gaetz. The move could intensify scrutiny of other controversial Trump nominees, including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, who faces sexual assault allegations he denies.

While momentum was strong, it was clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction from the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition, Gaetz said in a statement a day after meeting with senators in an effort to win their support.

There is no time to waste in an unnecessarily prolonged brawl in Washington, so I will withdraw my name from consideration for Attorney General. Trump's DOJ must be in place and ready from day one, he added.

Trump, in a social media post, said: I greatly appreciate Matt Gaetz's recent efforts to secure approval for Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, he did not want to be a distraction to the Administration, for which he has a lot of respect. Matt has a wonderful future and I can't wait to see all the great things he does!

Bondi is a well-known figure in Trump's circle and served as president of the America First Policy Institute, a think tank created by former members of the Trump administration. She sharply criticized the criminal prosecution of Trump. In a recent radio appearance, she called out Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith and other prosecutors who have accused Trump of horrible people who she said were trying to make a name for themselves by attacking Donald Trump and weaponizing our justice system.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham predicted in a social media post that Bondi would be confirmed quickly, calling his selection a grand slam, touchdown, hole-in-one, ace, hat trick, slam dunk, Olympic gold medal.

If confirmed by the Republican-led Senate, Bondi would instantly become one of the most closely watched members of Trump's Cabinet, given Republicans' threat to continue retaliation against perceived adversaries and Democrats' fear that he seeks to bend the Justice Department to his will. A recent Supreme Court opinion not only granted broad immunity to former presidents, but also affirmed the president's exclusive authority over the Justice Department's investigative functions.

As president, he demanded investigations of political opponents like Hillary Clinton and sought to use the Justice Department's law enforcement powers to advance his own interests, including attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 elections.

Bondi would inherit a Justice Department that is expected to lean heavily toward civil rights, respect for business rights and the prosecution of hundreds of Trump supporters charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the State Capitol -United, defendants that Trump has pledged to pardon.

Bondi is unlikely to be confirmed in time to overlap with Smith, who has filed two federal indictments against Trump that are both expected to conclude before the new president takes office. Special advocates are supposed to produce reports on their work that are historically made public, but it remains unclear when such a document might be released.

Bondi was accused by a Massachusetts lawyer of bribery over a $25,000 campaign contribution she received from Trump in 2013. Bondi requested the donation around the same time her office was being questioned over a new investigation. Yorker on alleged fraud at Trump University. In 2017, this complaint was found to lack sufficient evidence to move forward.

In 2013, while serving as Florida's attorney general, she publicly apologized for calling for the execution of a man convicted of murder to be delayed because it conflicted with a fundraising campaign. campaign. She said she was wrong and she was sorry for asking that of the then-governor. Rick Scott postpones the execution of Marshall Lee Gore by three weeks.

As Gaetz sought to block Senate support this week, concerns over sex trafficking allegations showed no signs of abating.

In recent days, the lawyer for two women said his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions starting in 2017, when Gaetz was a member of Congress from Florida. One of the women said she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old at a party in Florida in 2017, according to attorney Joel Leppard.

Gaetz's political future is uncertain. In a social media post, pointing the finger at the new vice president, Gaetz wrote: I look forward to continuing the fight to save our country. Maybe from another post.

Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Michelle L. Price, Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Adriana Gomez Licon contributed to this report.

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