Senate votes to confirm Pam Bondi as Attorney General

The Senate voted Tuesday night to approve Pam Bondi as attorney general, making her the latest official to join President Donald Trump's cabinet.

The upper house supported Bondi's candidacy for attorney general 54 to 46, with one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, joining all Republicans in voting to confirm her. She will take over as the nation's top law enforcement officer as Mr. Trump pledges to reverse what he considers the Justice Department's weaponization and threatens his opponents.

Bondi stated at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month that she would "not politicize" the department and that "justice will be administered evenhandedly throughout this country."

"If confirmed, I will work to restore confidence and integrity to the Department of Justice and each of its components," she said. "Under my watch, the partisanship, the weaponization, will be gone. America will have one tier of justice for all."

Bondi was Trump's second choice to lead the Justice Department, after former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida resigned due to a lack of support from Republican senators.

Bondi's candidacy was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 12-10 vote last week. During her confirmation hearing, Bondi criticized the "weaponization" of then-President Joe Biden's Justice Department and stated that she would not unjustly target those with criminal investigations such as those involving Trump.

As attorney general, Bondi will be in charge of a large department that includes many law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Mr. Trump has repeatedly attacked both institutions. The Trump appointed Kash Patel, another strong supporter, to oversee the FBI.

Bondi will also have the authority to review federal investigations involving Mr. Trump, which were supervised by former special counsel Jack Smith. Smith resigned from his position before the president came to office, and the two charges filed against Mr. Trump were rejected due to longstanding Justice Department precedent prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president.

Bondi is well-known for her judicial battles in support of conservative causes. She prosecuted many high-profile cases as a state attorney for more than a decade. She was elected as Florida's attorney general in 2011, becoming the first woman to occupy the post. During that time, Bondi was known for being a media savvy and skilled lawyer.

Bondi takes over the Justice Department without the federal prosecution expertise that her predecessors had. She was Florida's attorney general for two terms, during which time her office launched legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act and former President Barack Obama's immigration policy.

After leaving government in 2019, she worked as a lawyer and lobbyist for Ballard Partners, a Florida business. According to federal registration documents, she represented firms such as General Motors, Amazon, and Uber while also lobbying on behalf of the Qatari government.