The United States Senate confirmed Pam Bondi as attorney general on Tuesday night, adding another key official to President Donald Trump’s administration.
Bondi, a fierce litigator with a long career in public service, secured the role with a 54-46 vote.
Although the decision mostly followed party lines, Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania crossed the aisle to support her confirmation.
Fetterman explained his decision to reporters, noting that while Bondi wasn’t his preferred candidate, her qualifications won him over.
“I’m saying that she’s, she’s qualified, and it’s not my ideal pick, but it turns out that (former Attorney General) Merrick Garland wasn’t anyone’s ideal one either,” he remarked.
Bondi became Trump’s second nominee for attorney general after former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida withdrew from consideration due to insufficient support from GOP senators.
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced her nomination last week with a narrow 12-10 vote.
During her confirmation hearing, Bondi criticized what she called the “weaponization” of President Joe Biden’s Justice Department and vowed to avoid politically motivated prosecutions like those targeting Trump.
She also acknowledged that Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, but controversially claimed that the transition of power was peaceful—a statement that disregards the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol that interrupted the certification of election results.
Bondi is no stranger to high-profile cases and has built a reputation for her aggressive legal approach and conservative advocacy.
Before stepping into politics, she spent over a decade prosecuting major cases. In 2011, she made history as the first woman elected as Florida’s attorney general, where she often found herself at the center of divisive issues.
Her political profile grew increasingly partisan over her two terms in office. Bondi became a prominent supporter of Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign and later joined his defense team during his first impeachment trial, where she accused then-citizen Joe Biden of corrupt dealings with his son Hunter, claims that lacked evidence.
Since leaving office in 2019, Bondi has worked at Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm with close ties to Trump and his chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
