Trump names Pam Bondi as new attorney general after Gaetz resigns

President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday night that his new pick for attorney general is Pam Bondi.

Bondi previously served as Florida’s Attorney General.

The announcement came just hours after former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., withdrew from consideration.

“For too long, the partisan Justice Department has been a weapon against me and other Republicans — no longer,” Trump said in a post to The truth Social. “Pam will refocus the DOJ on its intended purpose of fighting crime and making America safe again.”

Trump also praised her work against “lethal drug trafficking.” Bondi previously served on a Trump commission focused on ending the opioid crisis and combating substance abuse.

The attorney general position would require Senate confirmation.

Bondi has long ties to Trump. During the 2016 Republican National Convention, Hon joined in in “lock her up” chants directed at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and then was part of Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial.

After Trump lost the 2020 election, Bondi was involved in efforts to overturn the results, falsely claim that Trump had “won Pennsylvania” during a news conference in Philadelphia.

Earlier Thursday, Gaetz announced he was withdrawing his name from consideration to be attorney general, arguing that his “confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition.”

Gaetz faced allegations that included having sex with a 17-year-old girl. He has denied the charges against him.

Trump praised Gaetz at the Truth Social after he stepped down, saying Gaetz “has a wonderful future.”