The U.S. Senate voted 54-46, mostly along party lines, on Tuesday to confirm Pam Bondi as President Donald Trump’s attorney general. Bondi is a longtime Trump ally, and has publicly defended him throughout his legal woes and repeated false claims about fraud in the 2020 election. She previously worked as attorney general of Florida, a position she held for eight years.
Sen. John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, joined Republicans in voting yes.
During her confirmation hearings, Bondi repeatedly talked around questions from senators about whether she would use her position to help Trump go after political enemies. She also declined to say that Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election.
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Still, Bondi’s nomination process was relatively smooth, a sharp departure from Trump’s first attempt to nominate former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz to the role. Gaetz — who has notably less legal experience than Bondi and was mired in sexual misconduct allegations — withdrew his name from consideration in November.
Bondi is the first woman nominated by a Republican president to serve as U.S. attorney general. Janet Reno, nominated by Bill Clinton, and Loretta Lynch, nominated by Barack Obama, were the first two women to hold the title.
Bondi will lead the Department of Justice (DOJ) as the Trump administration pushes for major restructuring of federal departments and services. DOJ officials have already fired several prosecutors who worked on Trump’s criminal cases. They have also put a freeze on civil rights litigation ranging from alleged police misconduct to violations of tenants rights. More than 90 civil and human rights organizations issued a letter cautioning senators against supporting Bondi after her nomination.
“At this critical time for our democracy, Ms. Bondi lacks the independence needed at the DOJ to build trust in the department and to ensure the fair enforcement of our nation’s civil rights laws,” the letter stated.
“People in America deserve better, and they deserve an attorney general who will vigorously work for them, enforce our federal civil rights laws, and build a more just, multiracial democracy.”
