By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-22 18:06:59 | Updated at 2024-11-22 23:32:34
5 hours ago
Donald Trump's new pick for attorney general was a fierce defender who attacked Joe Biden during Trump's first impeachment – and tangled with a lawyer for O.J. Simpson when his client moved to Florida after his acquittal on murder charges.
Bondi, 59, who Trump announced was his choice to be the nation's top law enforcement officer after the stunning withdrawal of Rep. Matt Gaetz after just days amid sex trafficking allegations – has long been known as a fierce Trump loyalist.
She called him a friend while delivering remarks at a Trump campaign rally during a blistering response after billionaire Mark Cuban said Trump didn't want to have strong, intelligent women around him.
She also and parroted some of Trump's election fraud claims by claiming there were 'fake ballots.'
She claimed falsely at a Nov. 4, 2020 press conference that included former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani that Trump had won Pennsylvania. 'It looks like intimidation to me,' she said. 'We’ve won Pennsylvania and we want every vote to be counted in a fair way.'
California Rep. Adam Schiff called her 'one of the election deniers out there very early on in Pennsylvania making claims of fake ballots.'
Bondi endorsed Trump over fellow Florida Marco Rubio in 2016. She ended up speaking at his first convention, when crowd members broke out into 'lock her up' chants about Hillary Clinton that Bondi endorsed. '"Lock her up," I love that,' said Bondi.
Former federal prosecutor Elie Honig told CNN Bondi was 'without a question, qualified to be Attorney General,' citing her 20 years as a prosecutor in Florida.
Pam Bondi has been a close advisor to Donald Trump for years, representing him during his first impeachment. As the nation's top law enforcement officer she would oversee federal Trump criminal probes, although they appeared to be falling apart since his election
Back in 2017, Simpson lawyer Malcolm Lavergne unloaded on her when as Florida AG she called Simpson a 'scofflaw' who would drain law enforcement funds by moving to the state after getting parole in L.A.
Lavergne called her 'possibly the stupidest person on the planet' in comments to the Tampa Bay Times where he said the matter should be handled by the state department of corrections and was an effort to 'gain political favor.'
He now says he was under a lot of pressure when he made the comments. Although he calls Bondi 'vindictive,' he told DailyMail.com, 'I hope she takes her position very seriously not just as a Trump loyalist but as an American' and says he's 'wishing her the best.'
It was just one of the contentious high-profile legal fights of her long career.
She was elected Florida AG in 2010 after getting a nod from Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
During Trump's first impeachment, where the president was accused of threatening to withhold vital military aid to get an investigation of the Bidens, she tried to turn the focus back on Hunter Biden's lucrative job on the board of a Ukrainian energy firm.
When she was AG, she ultimately did not join a multi-state lawsuit seeking compensation for students who said they were defrauded by Trump University. She faced scrutiny for accepting a $25,000 donation from Trump before the decision was finalized.
Bondi advised Trump in the White House, calls him a friend, and spoke at his convention and at rallies
Bondi clashed with an attorney for O.J. Simpson when he got out of prison on parole and wanted to move to Florida
There have been times when she has admitted mistakes. Back in 2013, she said it was an error to reschedule a state execution that conflicted with a campaign fundraiser.
'I should not have requested the execution be moved. It had been [delayed] twice,' she told the Tampa Bay Times. 'I'm sorry. And it will not happen again.' The victim's family had been critical of the move.
Trump, who grew to regret his nomination of Jeff Sessions to be his first AG, only to see Sessions recuse himself from the Russia probe, hailed Bondi for her loyalty in a statement.
'For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans - Not anymore,' he said. 'Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.'
She is close to Trump's incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles, and both worked for the same Ballard law and lobbying firm run by a Trump fundraiser.
