Pam Bondi | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2025 | |
| 87th United States Attorney General | |
| Assumed office February 5, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Emil Bove (acting) Todd Blanche |
| Preceded by | Merrick Garland |
| 37thFlorida Attorney General | |
| In office January 4, 2011 – January 8, 2019 | |
| Governor | Rick Scott |
| Preceded by | Bill McCollum |
| Succeeded by | Ashley Moody |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Pamela Jo Bondi (1965-11-17)November 17, 1965 (age 60) Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (since 2000) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic (until 2000)[1] |
| Spouses | |
| Domestic partner | John Wakefield (2017–present) |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
Pamela Jo Bondi (/ˈbɒndi/BON-dee; born November 17, 1965)[2] is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 87thUnited States attorney general since 2025. A member of theRepublican Party, she served as the 37thFlorida attorney general from 2011 to 2019.
Born and raised in theTampa Bay area, Bondi graduated from theUniversity of Florida andStetson Law School. She served as an assistantstate attorney inHillsborough County, Florida from 1994 to 2009. In2010, Bondi was electedAttorney General ofFlorida, becoming the first woman to serve in the position. She was re-elected in2014, becoming the first two-termRepublican attorney general inFlorida history. She was term-limited in2018, and was succeeded by fellow RepublicanAshley Moody.
In 2020, Bondi was one of PresidentDonald Trump's defense lawyers during hisfirst impeachment trial. By 2024, she led the legal arm of the Trump-alignedAmerica First Policy Institute. On November 21, 2024,President-elect Trump announced his intention to nominate Bondi for attorney general after former congressmanMatt Gaetz withdrew from consideration. She was confirmed by theU.S. Senate in a 54–46 vote on February 4, 2025, and sworn in the next day.
Bondi[3] was born on November 17, 1965. Her hometown isTemple Terrace, Florida. Her father, Joseph Bondi, was a city council member and then mayor of Temple Terrace. She is a graduate ofC. Leon King High School inTampa.[4] Her younger brother, Bradley Bondi, is a lawyer.[5]
Bondi received aBA incriminal justice from theUniversity of Florida in 1987, and aJD fromStetson University College of Law in 1990.[6][7][8] She was a member of theDelta Delta Deltasorority as an undergraduate student.[6] Bondi was admitted tothe Florida Bar on June 24, 1991.[8]
Bondi was aprosecutor and spokeswoman inHillsborough County, Florida, where she was an assistant state attorney.[9] Bondi prosecuted formerMajor League Baseball playerDwight Gooden in 2006 for violating the terms of his probation and for substance abuse.[10][11] In 2007, Bondi also prosecuted the defendants inMartin Anderson's death.[12]
Bondi ran forFlorida attorney general in the2010 election, facing off against former state representativeHolly Benson and lieutenant governorJeff Kottkamp in the Republican primary. In a competitive field, Bondi notably received the support of former governor of AlaskaSarah Palin.The Palm Beach Post credited her surge in support in the primary to her media-savviness, including regular appearances onFox News and her public association withSean Hannity.
Polling conducted byMason-Dixon in August 2010 found her leading both Benson and Kottkamp in the primary. She ultimately won the primary with 37.89% of the vote.[13] In the general election, she faced Democratic nomineeDan Gelber, a former prosecutor who spent 10 years in the state legislature.[14] She ultimately comfortably defeated Gelber to become the state's first female attorney general.[15][16]
Bondi was re-elected in November2014, receiving 55% of the vote. Her Democratic challengerGeorge Sheldon, the former acting commissioner of theAdministration for Children and Families, received 42%.[17]
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Bondi was the lead attorney general in an unsuccessful lawsuit seeking to overturn thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act (known asObamacare) inFlorida et al v. United States Department of Health and Human Services. In the lawsuit the state of Florida and 26 other states argued that the individual mandate provision of the ACA violates theUnited States Constitution.[18]
In 2011, Bondi pressured two attorneys to resign who were investigatingLender Processing Services, afinancial services company now known asBlack Knight, following therobosigning scandal, as part of their work for Florida's Economic Crime Division.[19][20]
In 2013, Bondi persuaded GovernorRick Scott to postpone a scheduledexecution because it conflicted with a fundraising event.[21] After questions were raised in the media, Bondi apologized for moving the execution date.[22][23]
In 2013, Bondi expressed her opposition tomedical marijuana.[24][25]
In 2018, Bondi joined with 19 other Republican-led states in a lawsuit to overturn the ACA's bans on health insurance companies charging people withpre-existing conditions higher premiums or denying them coverage outright.[26]
Bondi defendedAmendment 2, a 2008 amendment to the Florida Constitution banningsame-sex marriage, against legal challenges on behalf of the state. Bondi said that these actions did not reflect her opinions on same-sex marriage, but were out of respect for the constitution.[27] Following the 2016Orlando nightclub shooting in June 2016, Bondi was interviewed byCNN reporterAnderson Cooper, who said that Bondi's expression of support for the LGBT community was at odds with her past record.[27][28][29]
In August 2018, while still serving as Florida attorney general, Bondi co-hostedThe Five onFox News three days in a row while also appearing onSean Hannity'sFox News show.[30] Fox News claimed that theFlorida Commission on Ethics had approved Bondi's appearance on the program; however, the spokeswoman for the commission denied that, telling theTampa Bay Times that no decision was made by the commission and that the commission'sgeneral counsel did not make a determination whether or not Bondi's appearance as a host violated the Florida Code of Ethics. TheTampa Bay Times described it as "unprecedented" for a sitting elected official to host a TV show.[30]
In 2013, Bondi received scrutiny following a campaign donation fromDonald Trump.[31] Prior to the donation, Bondi had received at least 22 fraud complaints regardingTrump University. A spokesperson for Bondi announced that her office was considering joining a lawsuit initiated byEric Schneiderman, theattorney general of New York, regarding potentialtax fraud charges against Trump.[32][33] Four days later, And Justice for All, apolitical action committee established by Bondi to support herre-election, received a $25,000 donation from theDonald J. Trump Foundation. Bondi subsequently declined to join the lawsuit against Trump University. Both Bondi and Trump have defended the propriety of the donation.[34][35]
In 2016, afterCitizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with theInternal Revenue Service regarding the donation, the Trump Foundation stated that it had been made in error, intending for the donation to go to Bondi's unrelatedKansas non-profit Justice for All.[36][37] In June 2016, as Bondi was facing renewed criticism over the issue, her spokesman said that Bondi had solicited the donation directly from Trump several weeks before her office announced it was considering joining the lawsuit.[33][38] On March 14, 2016, Bondi endorsed Trump in the2016 Florida Republican presidential primary, saying she had been friends with him for many years.[39][40] In June 2016, a spokesperson for GovernorRick Scott stated that the state's ethics commission was looking into the matter.[41]
In September 2016, the IRS determined that the donation to Bondi's PAC violated laws against political contributions from nonprofit organizations, and ordered Trump to pay a fine for the contribution. Trump was also required to reimburse the foundation for the sum that had been donated to Bondi.[42] Neither Bondi nor her PAC were fined or criminally charged. In November 2019, Trump was ordered by a New York state court to close down the foundation and pay $2 million in damages for misusing it, including the illegal donation to Bondi.[43]
In 2019, after her final term as Florida attorney general, Bondi was hired byBallard Partners and she began working as a registeredforeign agent andlobbyist forQatar. Her work with Qatar was related to anti-human-trafficking efforts in advance of the2022 FIFA World Cup.[44][45] She left the Qatari project in 2019 to work in a temporary position for theWhite House Counsel forPresident Trump's first impeachment proceedings.[44]
As a partner at Ballard Partners, she also became a lobbyist for KGL KSCC, a company incorporated inKuwait.[46] Bondi was lobbying for the Kuwaiti company to help with a case of claimedextortion.[47] During her time at Ballard Partners, Bondi lobbied forGEO Group,Amazon,Uber,General Motors, theFlorida Sheriffs Association and others.[48]
In November 2019, she was hired by the first Trump administration to help theWhite House duringTrump's first impeachment proceedings.[49][50] Her position was described the following month as being to "attack the process" of theimpeachment inquiry.[51] On January 17, 2020, Bondi was named as part of Trump's defense team for theSenate impeachment trial.[52]
During the course of the impeachment trial, Bondi madeallegations that formervice presidentJoe Biden and his sonHunter were involved incorruption in Ukraine, stemming from the younger Biden's position on the board ofBurisma Holdings.[53] It was also revealed thatLev Parnas, a businessman with close ties toRudy Giuliani andUkraine, had several meetings with Bondi in 2018 while she was the Florida attorney general, and after she left office in 2019.[54][55]
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Bondi spoke in support of Trump at the2020 Republican National Convention.[56] Bondi became a vocal supporter of Trump'sefforts to overturn his 2020 defeat.[57] While ballots were being counted in the2020 United States presidential election, Bondi supported Trump's false claim that there was large-scalevoter fraud inGeorgia,Pennsylvania, andWisconsin.[58][59]
In an appearance onFox News on November 5, 2020, hostSteve Doocy challenged Bondi to provide evidence for her claims of fraud. She said "We know that ballots have been dumped."[60] Bondi later claimed that Trump had won Pennsylvania, despite votes there still being counted, with his opponentJoe Biden ultimately winning the state.[59]
During the followinglame-duck session, Trump appointed Bondi to the board of trustees of theJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.[61] ThePalm Beach Post described the appointment as a reward for her loyalty to Trump.[62]
By 2024, Bondi led the legal arm of the Trump-alignedAmerica First Policy Institute, a nonprofit that planned policies for a potential second Trump presidency. She worked to file voting lawsuits in battleground states relating to the2024 presidential election.[63]
On November 21, 2024, president-elect Trump announced she would be nominated forUnited States attorney general, after the withdrawal ofMatt Gaetz for that position.[64][65][66]
There were two hearings at theU.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, one on January 15, 2025, and the second one on January 16. Bondi was questioned by Democratic Senators over her past work as a lobbyist, the 2020 presidential election results, her relationship with Trump, and her thoughts aboutTikTok.[67][68][69]
On January 29, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved her nomination in a party-line 12–10 vote.[70] She was confirmed in a 54–46 Senate vote on February 4.[71] The only Democratic senator who voted "aye" was SenatorJohn Fetterman.[72][73][74]
Bondi disclosed to the Senate Judiciary committee and the designated ethics official at the U.S. Department of Justice the compensation for her consulting services to Renatus Advisors LLC of Puerto Rico in shares andstock warrants for the merger ofDigital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC) andTrump Media & Technology Group (DJT), which were in turn converted to shares and warrants of DJT on the day of the merger. The compensation for the consulting services totaled $2,969,563.[75]
On February 5, 2025, Supreme Court justiceClarence Thomas swore Bondi into office as the 87th attorney general.[76][77]On Bondi's first day in office, she shut down the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force,[78] shut down the DOJ'sTask Force KleptoCapture,[79] and cut back enforcement of theForeign Agents Registration Act.[78] Bondi has largely taken an implementation role as attorney general, with key decisions being made by Deputy Chief of StaffStephen Miller and other White House officials.[80]
In late February 2025, a number of files related toJeffrey Epstein were released, heavily redacted and offering little new information. Bondi was criticized for her handling of the release, with commentators on the right and left labeling the move a political stunt rather than a genuine effort at transparency.[81][82] Arwa Mahdawi, writing forThe Guardian, derided the release as "a lot of redacted nothing".[83]
In March 2025, Chief JudgeJames Boasberg of thefederal district court in D.C. issued an order to temporarily block theTrump administration from using theAlien Enemies Act to deport alleged members of Venezuelan gangTren de Aragua, and also verbally ordered for the deportation flights "to be returned to the United States", to be "complied with immediately"; however, the Trump administration completed the deportations anyway, with Bondi and other Justice Department officials later arguing in a March 17 legal filing that "an oral directive is not enforceable as aninjunction".[84][85] Bondi and other Justice Department officials then submitted a March 18 legal filing stating that regarding certain details about the deportation flights requested by Judge Boasberg, "there is no justification to order the provision of additional information, and that doing so would be inappropriate".[86] During a media interview on March 19, Bondi said regarding Boasberg: "this judge has no right to ask those questions" regarding details about the deportation flights, and has "no power" to order the Trump administration to stop the deportation flights, as Bondi declared that judges are "meddling in our government".[87]
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Following theUnited States government group chat leak in March 2025, Bondi indicated that the leak would not be investigated, saying that the information shared was not classified.[88]
In March 2025, Bondi announced the establishment of the Joint Task Force October 7 (JTF 10-7) to seek justice for victims of theOctober 7, 2023, attacks on Israel byHamas, which killed approximately 1,200 people, including 47 U.S. citizens, and saw about 250 others abducted, including eight Americans. The task force focuses on prosecuting the direct perpetrators of the attack, pursuing charges against Hamas leadership, and targeting individuals and entities providing support or financing to Hamas, related Iranian proxies, and affiliates. It also addresses acts of antisemitism linked to these groups. JTF 10-7 is led by senior officials from the Justice Department's National Security Division and theFederal Bureau of Investigation, with personnel drawn from multiple DOJ divisions, the FBI, and international partners, including Israel's National Bureau of Counter Terror Finance.[89][90][91]
Bondi directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in theLuigi Mangione case.[92]
In April 2025, Bondi said thatfentanyl seizures in the first 100 days of Trump's second term as president had saved 21 million lives. Two days later, she increased this estimate to 119 million. Later that week during a cabinet meeting where she praised Trump and said that his first 100 days "far exceeded that of any other presidency in this country", she said that during the same period, DOJ agencies had seized "3,400 kilos of fentanyl...which saved—are you ready for this, media?—258 million lives". These statistics were met with skepticism given that only around 70,000 fentanyl deaths occur in the U.S. each year and the claim of lives saved represents 75% of the US population.[93][94]
In April 2025, Bondi held a task force meeting on anti-Christian bias.[95]
In May, it was reported that Bondi sold at least $1 million worth of shares inTrump Media onLiberation Day.[96]
In July 2025, the Department of Justice and the FBI wrote a memo saying there was no evidence that a supposedlist of Epstein's clients existed.[97] Previously in February 2025, Fox News journalistJohn Roberts had asked Bondi if the Justice Department would be publishing "the list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients", to which Bondi responded: "It's sitting on my desk right now to review. That's been a directive by President Trump. I'm reviewing that."[98][99] Bondi also previously claimed there were "tens of thousands of videos" showing Epstein "with children or child porn," a claim later walked back by FBI DirectorKash Patel.[98] The contradictions drew criticism from some figures inthe MAGA movement.[100][101] Following the controversy, deputy director of the FBIDan Bongino considered resigning from his position due to his disagreement with Bondi over how the Justice Department handled the announcement of its decision not to release further records related to Epstein.[102][103] President Trump defended Bondi, posting onTruth Social that she was doing "a FANTASTIC JOB" in her role. According to CNN, "Privately, Trump has also doubled down on his support for Bondi."[104]The Wall Street Journal later reported that, during a briefing on the Justice Department's review of the files in May, Bondi informed Trump that his name was included among the documents.[105][106]
In August 2025, Bondi announced onTwitter that the Department of Justice and theState Department were increasing the reward to $50 million forNicolás Maduro, accusing the Venezuelan president of collaborating with foreign terrorist organizations, such asTren de Aragua, theSinaloa Cartel, and theCartel of the Suns, to bring deadly violence to the United States.[107] Maduro was previously indicted by thefirst Trump administration in 2020, along with other Venezuelan officials and former ColombianFARC members, for what it described as "narco-terrorism": the trafficking of cocaine to the United States to wage a health war on its citizens.[108][109][110] The reward was originally set at $15 million in March 2020 before being raised to $25 million by theBiden administration in January 2025.[111][112] In aFox News interview, Bondi stated that the DOJ had seized approximately $700 million in assets linked to Maduro. The assets allegedly included multiple luxury homes inFlorida, a mansion in theDominican Republic, private jets, vehicles, a horse farm, jewelry, and large sums of cash.[113] Bondi described Maduro’s government as an "organized crime operation" that continued to function despite the seizures.[114]
In September 2025, in response to thekilling of Iryna Zarutska, Bondi said she would seek the death penalty for the perpetrator and that he would "never again see the light of day as a free man".[115]
In September 2025, in the aftermath of theassassination of Charlie Kirk, Bondi said "We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech." Her comments were criticized across the political spectrum, and the next day she clarified that she was referring to hate speech involving threats of violence.[116][117][118][119]
In October 2025, a man with an existing criminal record was arrested and charged with offering a $45,000 bounty to kill Bondi. The suspect posted onTikTok that he wanted Bondi "dead or alive" but "preferably dead".[120][121]
Bondi is of southern Italian descent, with roots inCampania.[4] She married Garret Barnes in 1990; the couple divorced after 22 months of marriage. In 1996, Bondi married Scott Fitzgerald; they divorced in 2002.[122] She was engaged to Greg Henderson in 2012.[123] Since 2017, she has been in a relationship with John Wakefield.[124]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pam Bondi | 459,022 | 37.89% | N/A | |
| Republican | Jeff Kottkamp | 397,781 | 32.84% | N/A | |
| Republican | Holly Benson | 354,573 | 29.27% | N/A | |
| Majority | 61,241 | 5.05% | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 1,211,376 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pam Bondi | 2,882,868 | 54.77% | +2.08% | |
| Democratic | Dan Gelber | 2,181,377 | 41.44% | −5.87% | |
| Independent | Jim Lewis | 199,147 | 3.78% | N/A | |
| Majority | 701,491 | 13.33% | +7.95% | ||
| Turnout | 5,263,392 | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pam Bondi | 3,222,524 | 55.09% | +0.32% | |
| Democratic | George Sheldon | 2,457,357 | 42.01% | +0.57% | |
| Libertarian | Bill Wohlsifer | 169,394 | 2.90% | N/A | |
| Majority | 765,207 | 13.08% | −0.25% | ||
| Turnout | 5,849,235 | ||||
Election deniers are also filling key roles in Trump's new administration. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a vocal supporter of Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat, has been nominated as U.S. Attorney General.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forFlorida Attorney General 2010,2014 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Florida Attorney General 2011–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Attorney General 2025–present | Incumbent |
| Order of precedence | ||
| Preceded byas United States Secretary of Defense | Order of precedence of the United States as Attorney General | Succeeded byas United States Secretary of the Interior |
| U.S. presidential line of succession | ||
| Preceded byasUnited States Secretary of Defense | Seventh in line as Attorney General | Succeeded byasUnited States Secretary of the Interior |
Justice ministers of theG20 | |
|---|---|
Members of theCabinet of the United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet members |  | |
| Cabinet-level members | ||
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