Trump chooses loyalist Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Matt Gaetz withdraws

Trump chooses loyalist Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Matt Gaetz withdraws

FILE - Pam Bondi, former Florida Attorney General, speaks to reporters outside an election integrity volunteer training, June 18, 2024, in Newtown, Pa. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name. Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial. She’s been a vocal critic of the criminal cases against Trump. She has also been a chair at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers. Gaetz stepped aside 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