Donald Trump taps loyalist Pam Bondi for attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws
Pam Bondi nomination follows withdrawal of nominee Matt Gaetz amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations
US President-elect Donald Trump tapped Pam Bondi, a staunch ally who helped defend the ex-leader against impeachment, as US attorney general on Thursday following firebrand Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal from the running.
Gaetz’s retreat amid sexual misconduct allegations signalled limits to Trump’s power, even as the president-elect prepares to retake the White House with his Republican Party also in control of both chambers of Congress.
The nomination of Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who served as a surrogate during the 2024 campaign and pushed to delegitimise vote counting in swing state Pennsylvania in 2020, could be seen as a useful tool for Trump in his attempt to settle personal grievances.
“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponised against me and other Republicans – Not any more,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network in announcing Bondi’s nomination.
Bondi, 59, was a member of Trump’s legal team during his first Senate impeachment trial, in which he was alleged to have pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, using aid as leverage, to hand over political dirt on Biden.
