Trump’s AG pick Pam Bondi is more conventional than Gaetz but the agenda to disrupt the Justice Department won’t change
CNN
With his new pick for attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump has found not only a powerhouse media strategist and loyal ally, but a tenacious litigator known for her battles in court for conservative causes.
With his new pick for attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump has found not only a powerhouse media strategist and loyal ally, but a tenacious litigator known for her battles in court for conservative causes. And while little about Trump is conventional, Pam Bondi is a far more conventional selection to lead the US Justice Department than Matt Gaetz, who stepped aside after a week of nonstop scrutiny from Democrats and Republicans alike. Bondi’s rise through the Florida state legal system and her fealty to Trump make her a key enforcer on his proposed policies around immigration, reproductive health and political retribution. Inside the Justice Department, the Bondi announcement was met mostly with relief from employees who a week ago were dismayed by the prospect of Gaetz and his slew of ethics and legal issues. But Justice employees are still steeling for heavy disruption, given that Trump’s stated plans are to bring the department to heel after being the subject of years of investigations he claims were unfair and politicized. “None of the baggage,” one Justice Department lawyer said of Bondi, “but still the same orders.”
Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the intelligence community, was briefly placed on a Transportation Security Administration list that prompts additional security screening before flights after her overseas travel patterns and foreign connections triggered a government algorithm earlier this year, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN.