President-elect Donald Trump announced on Thursday evening that he has already selected a replacement for his nominee for U.S. Attorney General after former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) withdrew his name from consideration earlier in the day.
“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,” Trump said in a statement. “Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on Violent Criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families.”
Trump highlighted Bondi’s record as the first female Attorney General of Florida, noting that she worked to stop drug traffickers and tackle the fentanyl problem plaguing America’s streets.
“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!” he said.
“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore,” Trump said. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.”
🚨 President Donald J. Trump announces the nomination of @PamBondi as Attorney General pic.twitter.com/A9PHbBsW5b
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 21, 2024
Bondi recently appeared on Fox News, where she discussed The Daily Wire’s story on FEMA corruption.
“I think they need to find out if it’s systemic, and it sounds like it is,” Bondi said of the FEMA worker who instructed employees to skip over certain homes sporting pro-Trump signage. “These are Americans who are having their civil rights violated because they chose to have a Donald Trump sign in their front yard,” she later added.
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Gaetz said that his decision to withdraw from the race came after meeting with senators on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. He said that it was “clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.” Gaetz’s withdrawal comes as multiple senators expressed concern over his confirmation and the House Ethics Committee weighed releasing a report on alleged sexual misconduct.
“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1,” Gaetz wrote.
“I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America.”
Trump released a statement on Gaetz’s decision, writing, “I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!”
Gaetz’s withdrawal from the AG position comes after he resigned from Congress when Trump nominated him to serve in the administration. Gaetz, a congressman since 2017, wrote in his resignation letter on November 14, “I do not intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress.”
The Florida congressman is the subject of an Ethics Committee investigation into alleged sexual misconduct. The committee met behind closed doors on Wednesday to discuss the report, but did not come to an agreement on releasing what it had found on Gaetz.
CNN reported on Thursday that the Ethics Committee was told of a second alleged sexual encounter between Gaetz and a 17-year-old in 2017. According to CNN, Gaetz announced that he was withdrawing his name 45 minutes after reporters had asked for comment from him on the second allegation.
Vice President-elect JD Vance took Gaetz around Capitol Hill to meet with key senators, and multiple Republicans urged their colleagues to wait for the confirmation hearing before rushing to judgment on any of the allegations against Gaetz. The Department of Justice also investigated Gaetz over alleged sex trafficking, but did not bring any charges against him.
Zach Jewell continued to this report.