Saturday, November 23, 2024 - Just few hours after former lawmaker Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew himself from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general, Trump announced that former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is his second choice to fill that role in his administration.
Bondi, 59, was one of the lawyers who defended Trump during
his first Senate impeachment trial.
"I have known Pam for
many years -- She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will
do a terrific job as Attorney General!" Trump said in a Truth Social post.
For more than a decade, Bondi has been a key Trump supporter
and has been involved in some controversies -- including the "big
lie," pushed by Trump in 2020. She publicly espoused the false claim that
he rightfully won the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
In 2013, the Trump Foundation sent a $25,000 donation to
Bondi's fundraising committee for her attorney general reelection campaign.
Around the same time, Bondi's office had on its desk a
lawsuit that probed both Trump himself and Trump University, but it ultimately
did not join the suit.
Bondi and Trump both denied allegations that the donation
led to her decision to not join the lawsuit, which had been filed by the New
York attorney general's office.
She endorsed Trump for his presidential run and spoke at the
2016 Republican National Convention, leading a "lock her up chant"
against then-Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
She also served as a co-chair of Trump's reelection bid and
spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2020.
Bondi was elected attorney general in 2010 and was reelected
in 2014. She left the office after reaching her two-term limit in 2019.
A year later, she was selected as part of Trump's defense
team for his first impeachment trial. He was acquitted in the Senate.
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