Florida guy goes out Florida woman enters This comes hours after Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, withdrew from consideration. The president-elect announced last night that he will nominate Pam Bondi to head the Justice Department.
Bondi, former Florida Attorney General It is widely seen as a more serious and affirmative option. And although that was part of the statement Gaetz was a ridiculous choice. But it also shows how much expectations—and standards—have fallen since. At the start of the first Trump administration, in 2017, Bondi was passed over to run the administration. For fear that she would be too scandalous, this time, she was a safe and acceptable backup choice.
If Bondi’s name means anything to you You might be a Florida resident or a true Trump fanatic. After serving as a local prosecutor for a short time Bondi was also elected Florida Attorney General in 2010 and served two terms. She left that position in 2019 and worked on Trump’s defense team for both impeachment trials. Bondi also worked as a lobbyist. At the time, its clients included the government of Qatar, Amazon, and Uber (you don’t often hear about these days). She also joined the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump non-profit organization.
Bondi’s most famous connection to Trump began in 2013 while serving as Florida’s attorney general. Several state attorneys general have investigated Trump University. It was a real estate seminar that was full of problems with suspected fraudulent advertising. In September 2013, Bondi announced that she was considering joining the lawsuit in New York. within a few days Trump Foundation which is Trump’s personal charity. wrote a check for $25,000 to And Justice for All, a group supporting her reelection. This is a donation that Bondi has. Make a personal request several weeks ago Bondi then refused to join the case. (Bondi denies that the payment influenced her decision.)
In Trumplandia’s kaleidoscope, the foundation itself is a scam. it was later forced to shut downand trump undergo treatment 19 violations, including self-handling The Trump Foundation is not legally allowed to make political donations. and instead report donations to support Bondi as such. Instead, it was reported as a donation for justice for all. , a similarly named non-profit organization in Kansas, after The Washington Post reveal detailsTrump aides insist the mistake was innocent. But the Internal Revenue Service fined Trump $2,500.
When Trump won the presidency in 2016, Bondi was widely expected to get a job in his administration. In January 2017 Bloomberg regularly Reported The appointment is approaching. But nothing happened. This is apparently because Trump officials were concerned that questions about donations would make confirmation hearings difficult and damaging. How quaint – she’s now the person Trump leans on for confirmation. And given the scale of Gaetz’s problems, the weaknesses of the other cabinet nominees and fatigue among the media and the public It seems to work.
She bears some resemblance in this way to John Ratcliffe, whom Trump nominated to lead the CIA last week. During Trump’s first term in 2019, he nominated Ratcliffe to be Director of National Intelligence. A job that helped coordinate all U.S. intelligence agencies, Ratcliffe was forced to withdraw when it became clear that the Senate would not confirm him. Because he had no real qualifications for the job. and exaggerating the little he has (I wrote at the time that Ratcliffe “would be the least qualified DNI in the short history of the position,” but current nominee Tulsi Gabbard (Give him his money.) A year later, Trump nominated him again, and this time the Senate sighed heavily and confirmed him. This is despite concerns that he would make the event politically inappropriate. Here’s exactly what he did: In the final week of the 2020 campaign, Ratcliffe reveal Unverified information about the 2016 election that career officials worry is disinformation in a blatant attempt to promote Trump’s re-election.
But when Trump announced Ratcliffe’s nomination this time, it was met with something between a shrug and relief. In the end Compared to Gaetz and Gabbard, this is a man with real experience in his appointments and in the executive branch! Trump has been able to move the goalposts so far. They are in a budget parking lot.
Pete Hegseth, nominee to lead the Department of Defense It has the same format. He was considered to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs in the first Trump administration. but was not chosen Now he has been chosen to lead an even more important and far-reaching bureaucracy. Although the only new feature he gained in later years Here are three books on vitriol. hours on Fox and being fired from overseeing Joe Biden’s inauguration (Hegseth’s nomination appears to be in limbo after sexual harassment allegations were revealed But he might still be able to make it through.)
If confirmed, Bondi would likely be a more effective and reasonable attorney general than Gaetz. She isn’t driven by personal grievances in the way she appears to be. And she has experience both as a prosecutor and state attorney general. However, like Gaetz, she is unlikely to protect the Justice Department’s independence from presidential interference. Aside from her past loyalties She also supported Trump’s false claims of election fraud in 2020. Trump has also named three of his personal criminal defense attorneys to top DOJ positions this term. Perhaps news? A lesser evil might be the best that anyone could wish for, but nothing is good.
