Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his first choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name.Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial when he was accused — but not convicted — of abusing his power as he tried to condition U.S.
military assistance to Ukraine on that country investigating then-former Vice President Joe Biden.She has been a chair at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers.Bondi is from Tampa and spent more than 18 years as a prosecutor. She was Florida’s first female attorney general.Earlier Thursday, Gaetz withdrew as Trump’s attorney general nominee amid continued fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer.The withdrawal, just a week after the pick was announced, averted what was shaping up to be a pitched confirmation fight that would have tested how far Senate Republicans were willing to go to support Trump’s Cabinet picks.Bondi’s more substantial experience as a lawyer and state attorney general makes her more likely to be easily confirmed by the Senate.More to come…
. Read more on globalnews.ca