Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and corporate lobbyist, would be one of the most closely scrutinized members of Trump’s Cabinet if she’s confirmed to lead the department that prosecuted the once and future president in two separate criminal cases that never went to trial.
Bondi has been a fixture in Trump’s orbit for years, and a regular defender of the president-elect on news programs amid his legal woes. She’s likely to face many questions over her public statements criticizing the criminal cases against Trump, given his threats to seek retribution against those he believes have wronged him.
Bondi was first elected Florida attorney general in 2010, defeating Democratic state Sen. Dan Gelber after earning the endorsement of former Republican Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Before becoming Florida attorney general, Bondi spent 18 years in the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office, prosecuting cases “ranging from domestic violence to capital murder,” according to her bio at Ballard Partners, the lobbying firm she joined in 2019. Among the cases she handled was the 2006 prosecution of baseball star Dwight Gooden, who was sent to prison for violating his probation by using cocaine.
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