Who is Pam Bondi, Trumps replacement pick for AG?

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s new choice for US attorney general is a far cry from his previous one.Trump’s latest pick, Pam Bondi, 59, brings with her the same reputation that former nominee Matt Gaetz had as a Trump loyalist.But Bondi lacks the personal controversies of Gaetz — a former Florida congressman who had to withdraw in the face of Senate Republican opposition.

She also brings with her significant comparable experience from her eight years as Florida’s state attorney general from 2011 to 2019.As a result, she is expected to have a far easier path to confirmation.The telegenic lawyer served on Trump’s defense team in his first Senate impeachment trial in 2020 for pressuring Ukraine to investigate the Biden family — memorably arguing that the Biden family was indeed corrupt and warranted investigation.Most recently, Bondi has worked for the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think tank that has been trying to develop new policies that could be implemented in Trump’s second term.If confirmed, Bondi is expected to be a prominent face of efforts to rein in what Trump, 78, calls the weaponization of the federal government against him — including moving to dismiss a pair of federal criminal cases against him for challenging the results of the 2020 election and allegedly mishandling classified documents.She also likely be brought in to battle litigation challenging his efforts to mass-deport illegal migrants, while overseeing efforts to overhaul the FBI, which is part of the Justice Department, and pushing Democratic-led jurisdictions to take a tougher approach toward violent crime.Bondi’s selection was announced Thursday by Trump shortly after Gaetz dropped out as even Senate Republicans demanded to see a draft House Ethics Committee report detailing allegations of sexual misconduct against the former rep.Gaetz has denied the accusations.She joins other prominent Floridians in the lineup for Trump’s looming return ...