President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to be U.S. Attorney General, moving swiftly to replace former nominee Matt Gaetz who withdrew from consideration earlier on Thursday.
Trump issued a statement confirming the pick via his social media network, Truth Social:
"I am proud to announce former Attorney General of the Great State of Florida, Pam Bondi, as our next Attorney General of the United States. Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on Violent Criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families. Then, as Florida's first female Attorney General, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs, and reduce the tragedy of Fentanyl Overdose Deaths, which have destroyed many families across our Country. She did such an incredible job, that I asked her to serve on our Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during my first Term — We saved many lives!"
"For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again. I have known Pam for many years — She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!"
Former Florida GOP Rep. Gaetz had been Trump's initial pick. But the choice seemed destined to result in highly contentious confirmation hearings. Gaetz, who has a fiery reputation is Congress, spurred some critics to question whether he had the necessary experience as a lawyer, law enforcement authority, and leader to take the reins of the Justice Department.
He has also been dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. There were indications he would not be confirmed despite a new GOP Senate majority come January.
He dropped out of contention on Thursday. Though he has denied any wrongdoing, he said he wanted to avoid "unfairly becoming a distraction" to the Trump transition.
A Republican, Bondi was Florida attorney general from 2011 to 2019. And, during Trump's first term in office, she was a lawyer for his defense in his first impeachment trial.
Newsmax contributed to this report.