Trump picks Pam Bondi for U.S. attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his first choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name.

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.

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Bondi is from Tampa and spent more than 18 years as a prosecutor. She was Florida’s first female attorney general.

1:32 Matt Gaetz withdraws as Trump’s attorney general pick

Earlier Thursday, Gaetz withdrew as Trump’s attorney general nominee 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.

The withdrawal, just a week after the pick was announced, averted what was shaping up to be a pitched confirmation fight that would have tested how far Senate Republicans were willing to go to support Trump’s Cabinet picks.

Bondi’s more substantial experience as a lawyer and state attorney general makes her more likely to be easily confirmed by the Senate.

More to come…