The Future of Justice: Pam Bondi’s Shifting Role

Years back, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi had a tough call. Should she join other states looking into Trump University, where students paid big bucks for classes that some said were shady? Though complaints came in, Bondi and Kamala Harris, then-California AG, both passed. They had received campaign cash from Donald Trump, but insisted it didn’t sway their choice. Fast forward to today, and these two ex-AGs have gone very different ways. Harris went after Trump in elections, calling him a business fraud and a threat to democracy. Trump, meanwhile, won re-election. Bondi? She spent a decade defending Trump and attacking those who probed him. Now he’s picked her as his next AG, if the Senate nods. The big question? Will Bondi keep her promise to go after federal prosecutors and FBI agents she thinks are out of line? On Fox News last year, she said, “The prosecutors will be prosecuted, the bad ones. ” She claimed they’re part of the so-called “deep state, ” and now that they’re not hiding, she thinks they can all be looked into.

Current and ex-DOJ officials have mixed feelings. Some see her as better than Trump’s earlier pick, Matt Gaetz. Others worry she’ll just do Trump’s bidding and target his foes. Some think she’ll follow the rules. Others aren’t so sure. Trump wants to can Special Counsel Jack Smith and his team. He thinks they mishandled charges against him. He wants the DOJ to look into his claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Past AGs, like Barr, didn’t find enough evidence to back up these claims. But Bondi stood by Trump during his first impeachment and his 2020 election claims. Now, the question is, will she really prosecute prosecutors? If she doesn’t, will she face the same fate as previous AGs who didn’t do what Trump wanted?

Actions