WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department, as front-runner Matt Gaetz faces tough calls over sex trafficking. After his name was withdrawn from consideration during the surveillance, he changed direction to his longtime ally. Suspicion.
Mr. Bondi has been an outspoken defender of Mr. Trump. She was accused in the president’s first impeachment trial of abusing her power by trying to condition U.S. military aid to Ukraine investigating then-Vice President Joe Biden, but was not found guilty. He was one of the lawyers at the time. And she was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush-money criminal trial in New York, which concluded in May with his conviction on 34 felonies.
“For too long, a partisan Justice Department has been used as a weapon against me and other Republicans, and that will no longer be the case,” Trump said in a social media post. “Pam will refocus the Department of Justice on its original purpose: fighting crime and making America safe again.”
Gates resigned amid the ongoing uproar over a federal sex-trafficking investigation that called into question his ability to be confirmed as the top federal law enforcement officer. Although Gates has vehemently denied the allegations, his nomination surprised many career lawyers within the Justice Department. Although Gates passed the bar exam, he rarely worked as a lawyer and had little experience related to the job. Mr. Bondi has a long legal career and another trait that Mr. Trump values above all else: loyalty.
Mr. Gaetz’s hasty withdrawal and quick turn to Mr. Bondi are the latest examples of Trump’s chaotic decision-making, as he continues to make furious decisions without the government review that is typical of presidential transitions. Candidates, some of whom had questionable character and qualifications, were rushed through at a pace. This is despite the fact that he had the most organized campaign in the White House this year, with the possibility that his return to the Oval Office will see the same kind of drama that permeated during his first term. This is a sign that something is coming.
President Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that the transition team has backup in case the controversial nominee is not approved. he said.
Still, things moved quickly in Trump’s world, too. Trump had hoped to use his decisive election victory to persuade Senate Republicans to accept provocative picks like Gaetz. The decision could increase scrutiny of other controversial Trump presidential candidates, including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, who has denied sexual assault charges.
“While momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation unfairly impeded the important work of the Trump-Vance transition,” Gaetz said in a statement the day after a meeting with senators aimed at securing support. said.
“We have no time to waste on unnecessarily prolonged Washington brawls, which is why I am withdrawing my name from consideration for attorney general. President Trump’s Justice Department will be staffed and ready from day one. No,” he added.
“I very much appreciate Matt Gaetz’s recent efforts to seek confirmation to serve as Attorney General,” President Trump said in a social media post. He was doing very well, but at the same time he had great respect for the regime because he didn’t want to get in the way of it. Matt has a great future and I look forward to seeing him do great things. ”
Bondi is well known in Trump’s circle and is the director of the America First Policy Institute, a think tank founded by former Trump administration staffers. She has been a vocal critic of the criminal case against Trump. In one recent radio appearance, she called Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith and the other prosecutors who prosecuted President Trump “terrible” people and said they were “going after Donald Trump and weaponizing our legal system.” He said he was trying to gain fame by “doing something.”
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said in a social media post that Bondi’s selection “will be made quickly,” calling him a “grand slam, touchdown, hole-in-one, ace, hat trick, slam dunk, Olympic gold medal candidate.” That’s what I expected.
If Mr. Bondi is confirmed by the Republican-led Senate, Mr. Bondi will face Republican threats of retaliation against perceived opponents and Mr. Bondi’s efforts to bend the Justice Department to his will. Given the concerns among Democrats, he would instantly become one of the most high-profile members of Trump’s cabinet. A recent Supreme Court opinion not only granted broad immunity to former presidents, but also affirmed the president’s exclusive authority over the investigative functions of the Justice Department.
As president, he called for investigations into political opponents like Hillary Clinton and sought to use the Justice Department’s law enforcement powers to further his own interests, including trying to overturn the 2020 election results.
Mr. Bondi will take over the Justice Department in civil rights, corporate enforcement, and the hundreds of Trump supporters charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, defendants whom Trump has promised to pardon. ) is expected to suddenly focus on prosecution.
Mr. Bondi is unlikely to be confirmed at the same time as Mr. Smith, who has filed two federal indictments against Mr. Trump, both of which are expected to be completed before the next president takes office. The special prosecutor is expected to produce a report on the work that has been made public, but it remains unclear when such documents will be made public.
Bondi was accused by a lawyer in Massachusetts of bribery over a $25,000 campaign contribution she received from Trump in 2013. Ms. Bondi solicited the donations around the same time her office was being investigated for a New York state investigation into alleged fraud at Trump University. In 2017, it was found that the charges lacked sufficient evidence to move forward.
In 2013, while serving as Florida’s attorney general, she publicly apologized for asking to delay the execution of a man convicted of murder because it conflicted with campaign fundraising. She said it was wrong to ask the then-governor to do so and she is sorry. Rick Scott postpones the execution of Marshal Lee Gore for three weeks.
Gaetz tried to block Senate support this week, but concerns about the sex trafficking allegations show no signs of abating.
Lawyers for two women recently said their clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz had paid them for sex on multiple occasions since 2017, when Gaetz was a member of the Florida House of Representatives. Ta. Attorney Joel Leppard said one of the women testified that she witnessed Gates having sex with a 17-year-old boy at a party in Florida in 2017.
Mr. Gaetz’s political future is uncertain. In a social media post, Gaetz wrote, referring to the vice president-elect. Maybe it’s from another post. ”
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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Michelle L. Price, Lisa Mascaro, Mary Claire Jalonick and Adriana Gomez Ricon contributed to this report.
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