WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, , withdrew his name from consideration.
Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial, when he was accused 鈥� but not convicted 鈥� of abusing his power as he tried to condition U.S. military assistance to Ukraine on that country investigating then-former Vice President Joe Biden.
Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. She's been a chair at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers.
鈥淔or too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans - Not anymore,鈥� Trump said in a social media post. 鈥淧am will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 son Donald Trump Jr. told Fox Business on Sunday that the transition team had backups in mind for his controversial nominees should they fail to get confirmed. The swift selection of Bondi came about six hours after Gaetz withdrew.
Gaetz stepped aside amid continued fallout over a that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation's chief federal law enforcement officer.
That announcement capped a turbulent eight-day period in which Trump sought to capitalize on his decisive election win to force Senate Republicans to accept provocative selections like Gaetz, who had been investigated by the Justice Department before being tapped last week to lead it. The decision could heighten scrutiny on other controversial Trump nominees, including , who faces sexual assault allegations that he denies.
鈥淲hile the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,鈥� Gaetz, a Florida Republican who one day earlier met with senators in an effort to win their support, said in a statement.
鈥淭here is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I鈥檒l be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump鈥檚 DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1," he added. Hours later, Gaetz posted on social media that he looks 鈥渇orward to continuing the fight to save our country,鈥� adding, 鈥淛ust maybe from a different post.鈥�
Trump, in a social media post, said: 鈥淚 greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!鈥�
Last week, Trump named personal lawyers Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and D. John Sauer to senior roles in the department. Another possible attorney general contender, Matt Whitaker,
Bondi, too, is a longtime loyalist. She has been a vocal critic of the criminal cases against Trump as well as Jack Smith, the special counsel who charged Trump in two federal cases. In one radio appearance, she blasted Smith and other prosecutors who have charged Trump as 鈥渉orrible鈥� people she said were trying to make names for themselves by 鈥済oing after Donald Trump and weaponizing our legal system.鈥�
If confirmed by the Republican-led Senate, Bondi would instantly become one of the most closely watched members of Trump鈥檚 Cabinet given the Republican鈥檚 and concern among Democrats that he will look to bend the Justice Department to his will. A recent Supreme Court opinion not only conferred broad immunity on former presidents but also affirmed a president鈥檚 exclusive authority over the Justice Department鈥檚 investigative functions.
Bondi would inherit a Justice Department expected to pivot sharply on civil rights, corporate enforcement and the prosecutions of hundreds of Trump supporters charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol 鈥� .
It鈥檚 unlikely that Bondi would be confirmed in time to overlap with Smith, who brought two federal indictments against Trump Special counsels are expected to produce reports on their work that historically are made public, but it remains unclear when such a document might be released.
In 2013, while serving as Florida attorney general, Bondi publicly apologized for asking that the execution of a man convicted of murder be delayed because it conflicted with a campaign fundraiser.
Bondi said she was wrong and sorry for requesting then-Gov. Rick Scott push back the execution of Marshall Lee Gore by three weeks.
Before she ran for state attorney general in 2010, Bondi worked for the Hillsborough County state attorney.
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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Michelle L. Price, Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Adriana Gomez Licon contributed to this report.
Eric Tucker And Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press
