President-elect Donald Trump has nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the justice department instead of Matt Gaetz, following the former congressman’s withdrawal amid sexual misconduct allegations. Bondi, like Gaetz, is a Floridian and long-time Trump loyalist who has defended the president-elect during his impeachment proceedings, criminal trials and other legal showdowns. Unlike Gaetz, Bondi doesn’t have a House ethics report or a cloud of salacious claims hanging over her—so that, at least, is a marked improvement from Trump’s initial pick for attorney general.
Bondi has kept a lower profile than Gaetz, but she’s still logged years in Trump’s orbit. She served as Florida attorney general from 2011 to 2019, then joined both a lobbying firm and a right-wing think tank with close ties to the president-elect. In late 2019 and early 2020, she paused her lobbying work to join Trump’s impeachment defense team, according to Politico, where she railed against Hunter Biden’s relationship with a Ukrainian energy company on the Senate floor. More recently, Bondi supported Trump’s false 2020 election claims and joined Trump in the Manhattan courthouse where his hush-money trial unfolded. Trump has backed Bondi for years, as well: He controversially donated $25,000 to her Florida AG campaign in 2013, around the same time her office was weighing a probe into Trump University.
Gaetz, meanwhile, is back in limbo—though potentially not for long. While the 42-year-old Republican resigned his House seat after accepting Trump’s AG nomination, he could potentially change his mind or run in the special election to fill his old seat. Gaetz’s name has also been floated—along with Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump—to fill the Florida Senate seat that will soon be vacated by Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio. Barring that, Trump could nominate Gaetz for a position that doesn’t require confirmation. Or, Gaetz could run for Florida governor in 2026, when Ron DeSantis wraps his second and final term in that office. In a post on X responding to JD Vance, Gaetz teased potentially serving in “a different post.”
Wherever Gaetz goes, this month’s scandal is likely to follow. House Republicans voted Wednesday to block the release of an ethics report into Gaetz’s conduct, including allegations that he had sex with a minor and used illegal drugs. (Gaetz has denied the allegations against him.) But the steady drip of leaks related to that probe—including reported testimony that Gaetz paid two women more than $10,000 for sex—still proved too much for even a GOP-majority Senate to stomach. Gaetz withdrew from consideration on Thursday, following meetings with Senate Republicans. At some point, Gaetz was shown a private whip count that showed “he had no path to confirmation,” the New York Post reported.
“Pam Bondi is a stellar selection by President Trump for Attorney General,” Gaetz posted to X on Thursday. “She’s a proven litigator, an inspiring leader and a champion for all Americans. She will bring the needed reforms to DOJ.” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was even more effusive: Bondi is a “grand slam, touchdown, hole in one, ace, hat trick, slam dunk, Olympic gold medal pick,” he wrote, who will “be confirmed quickly.”
