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Trump nominates new AG to replace Matt Gaetz
Donald Trump announced Pam Bondi for the Senate to consider for appointment to the Attorney General position, since Matt Gaetz dropped out of consideration due to hearing he would likely not be confirmed by several senators.
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he will be nominating Pam Bondi for attorney general.
The nomination comes just hours after Matt Gaetz was withdrawn from consideration.
Who is Pam Bondi?
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.
FILE - Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi stands on stage in an empty Mellon Auditorium while addressing the Republican National Convention on August 25, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Gaetz withdraws
Gaetz stepped aside 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.
That announcement capped a turbulent eight-day period in which Trump sought to capitalize on his decisive election win to force Senate Republicans to accept provocative selections like Gaetz, who had been investigated by the Justice Department before being tapped last week to lead it. The decision could heighten scrutiny on other controversial Trump nominees, including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, who faces sexual assault allegations that he denies.