President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday evening that his new pick for attorney general is Pam Bondi.
Bondi previously served as Florida’s attorney general.
The announcement came just hours after former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., withdrew from consideration.
“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans — Not anymore,” Trump said in a post to Truth Social. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.”
Trump also praised her work against “the trafficking of deadly drugs.” Bondi previously worked on a Trump commission focusing on ending the opioid crisis and combatting drug addiction.
Bondi is currently a partner at the lobbying firm Ballard Partners, where she chairs the company’s Corporate Regulatory Compliance practice, according to the firm’s website.
The attorney general position would require confirmation by the Senate.
Bondi has long ties to Trump. During the 2016 Republican National Convention, she joined in “lock her up” chants aimed at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and was then part of Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial.
After Trump lost the 2020 election, Bondi was involved in efforts to overturn the results, falsely claiming that Trump had “won Pennsylvania” during a news conference in Philadelphia.
As attorney general, Bondi would lead the Justice Department, which houses the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Prisons and has more than 115,000 employees.
Gaetz praised Trump’s announcement in a post on X, calling Bondi “a stellar selection.”
“She’s a proven litigator, an inspiring leader and a champion for all Americans,” he said. “She will bring the needed reforms to DOJ.”
Earlier on Thursday, Gaetz announced that he was withdrawing his name from consideration to be the attorney general, arguing that his “confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.”
Gaetz faced allegations that included having sex with a 17-year-old girl. He has denied the allegations against him.
Trump praised Gaetz on Truth Social after he withdrew, saying that Gaetz “has a wonderful future.”
Ryan J. Reilly and Ken Dilanian contributed.
