Trump AG pick promises to kick politics out of prosecutions

WASHINGTON—Former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi’s goal would be vigorous prosecution and to stop what she called a pattern of politically motivated prosecution, she said during the first day of her Senate confirmation hearing. During questioning, she clarified that she believed various Justice Department-led lawsuits against President-elect Donald Trump were targeted because he was running for reelection. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a second hearing with Bondi tomorrow.

Who is Bondi? The former Florida attorney general served two terms after nearly 20 years of being a state prosecutor. During her tenure, the state won several cases against opioid dealers. After leaving the state attorney general’s office due to term limits, Bondi worked as a lobbyist for groups like Ballard and GEO, representing Uber, Amazon, and the government of Qatar in an effort against human trafficking. She also served as Trump’s attorney during his first impeachment trial and as a campaign advocate during his most recent reelection bid. During her testimony, Bondi said that if confirmed her first duty would be to the U.S. Constitution.

What else did she promise? Bondi said she wants to reform the Department of Justice bureau that manages federal prisons. She also supported designating some Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Bondi said that if Trump wants to pardon people convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021 riots, she will review each case individually. She added that she condemns any violence against law enforcement. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., asked Bondi if she would enforce the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, known as the FACE Act. Bondi noted that the act also orders that entrances to crisis pregnancy centers be kept clear and promised to apply the law equally to both.

What are her confirmation chances? Bondi is Trump’s second pick to be the next attorney general. He first nominated former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who later dropped his name from consideration. Gaetz also had resigned from Congress before an ethics report on sex trafficking charges was released. Unlike Gaetz, Bondi has significant prosecutorial experience, which senators said encouraged them. But Democratic senators had concerns about whether she would be independent from Trump. Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin of Illinois said in his opening statement that Bondi is a loyalist, and he has concerns she would not buck the president-elect if he asked her to do something unconstitutional. For confirmation, cabinet appointees need a simple majority vote both out of committee and then on the Senate floor.

Dig deeper: Read my report on yesterday’s Senate confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, the nominee for the next defense secretary.