Florida Man Gives Way to Florida Woman: Trump Taps Pam Bondi as New AG Pick

After ex-U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz abruptly withdrew as President-Elect Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. Attorney General, the once and future leader of the free world quickly pivoted to another Florida loyalist to fill the role.

Capping off a whirlwind news day, Trump tapped longtime ally Pam Bondi as his new choice for AG late Thursday, hours after Gaetz stepped down amid ongoing scrutiny over sexual misconduct allegations involving underage girls. If confirmed, Bondi would lead the Department of Justice (DOJ) and shape the direction of federal investigations and prosecutions.

"For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans — Not anymore," Trump posted on the platform he owns, Truth Social. "Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again."

A Tampa native who served as Florida's attorney general from 2011 to 2019, Bondi has long-running ties to Trump.

In 2013, she received a $25,000 donation from Trump while deciding whether to take legal action against now-defunct Trump University. She ultimately decided against pursuing the fraud investigation into the for-profit institution, sparking a torrent of of controversy.

In 2020, Bondi served as one of Trump's defense lawyers during his first impeachment trial, and earlier this year she was steadfast in her defense of the former president during his hush-money criminal trial in Manhattan.

She now serves as co-chair of the law and justice division of a Trump-aligned think tank, the America First Policy Institute.

Bondi, like Gaetz, has frequently found herself at the center of controversy.

In 2005, she was involved in a 16-month custody battle over a St. Bernard dog that had been separated from its family during Hurricane Katrina. The family had been searching for the dog, but Bondi refused to return him, accusing the family of neglecting the animal — a claim the family denied.

In 2013, she persuaded then-Gov. Rick Scott to postpone a scheduled execution because it conflicted with one of her fundraising events.

And while serving as Florida's attorney general in 2014, she opposed same-sex marriage on behalf of the state, arguing in court filings that recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states would "impose significant public harm" on Floridians. Notably, she was involved in a nontradtional union at the time.