The Senate confirmed former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) to be the next U.S. Attorney General on Tuesday evening, filling a post crucial to the execution of President Donald Trump’s ambitious agenda and restoring the Justice Department’s focus on law and order.
Bondi was confirmed by a vote of 54–46, with Senator John Fetterman (D., Pa.) joining all of his Republicans colleagues in voting for her. Her confirmation follows a 52–46 Senate vote Monday to limit debate after she passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee 12–10 along party lines.
“Pam Bondi’s confirmation is a victory for the rule of law and a promise that safer days are ahead. Ms. Bondi is a career prosecutor who’s dedicated her professional career to pursuing justice. As Florida’s Attorney General, she didn’t shy away from hard work or complicated problems. I expect her to take the same tough, unbiased approach as U.S. Attorney General,” said Senator Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), the Judiciary Committee chairman.
Bondi appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee last month for a confirmation hearing where she emphasized her legal qualifications and putting an end to the weaponization of the Justice Department. Throughout the hearing, Grassley and other Republicans on the panel focused on the “rot” inside the Justice Department during the Biden administration and Trump’s first term.
The FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation into false claims that Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with the Russians and the FBI’s crucial role in suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story were among the scandals of Trump’s first term.
Under Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland dispatched special counsel Jack Smith to pursue federal prosecutions of Trump. The Biden DOJ also prosecuted numerous pro-life activists for praying or demonstrating at abortion clinics. Additionally, Garland directed the FBI to investigate dissatisfied parents attending school board meetings, and multiple FBI field offices crafted a memo equating traditionalist Catholics with domestic terrorists, a matter Trump’s FBI director pick Kash Patel promised to investigate.
Smith’s cases against Trump ended upon Trump’s resounding electoral victory in November. Trump has since fired the prosecutors involved with the case and pardoned the pro-lifers imprisoned during the Biden administration. The Trump administration is similarly moving to fire several senior FBI officials and FBI employees who worked on investigations into the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. On Day One, Trump pardoned 1,500 January 6 defendants, including hundreds who committed violent crimes against law enforcement.
Besides that, Bondi will be an important player in enacting Trump’s immigration agenda, and her Justice Department will be tasked with defending Trump’s flurry of executive actions from legal challenges.
As Florida attorney general, Bondi served for eight years and handled issues ranging from opioid pill mills and human trafficking to violent crime and a rape kit backlog. Afterward, Bondi represented Trump during the first impeachment of his last term and lobbied for Ballard Partners, an influential Florida-based lobbying firm.
Senate Democrats appeared skeptical that Bondi would be more than a rubber stamp for Trump and voiced concerns about her lobbying activities for clients such as the Qatari government. Bondi insisted that the work for Qatar was for the sole purpose of mitigating human trafficking ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Over 100 former senior Justice Department officials and numerous federal and state prosecutors backed Bondi’s nomination. Law enforcement groups including the Fraternal Order of Police and the National Sheriffs’ Association also endorsed Bondi’s nomination to be the nation’s chief law enforcement officer.