Washington: The U.S. Senate on Tuesday evening voted mostly along party lines to confirm Pam Bondi as the new attorney general, head of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The nomination was approved by a vote of 54-46, with just one Democratic senator joining Republicans in supporting Bondi.
In late November, then-President-elect Donald Trump nominated Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida from 2011 to 2019, to replace Matt Gaetz, who had recused himself from consideration due to lack of support.
During her tenure as Florida’s attorney general, Bondi advocated for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, supported restrictions on abortion, and opposed certain LGBTQ+ rights, including the legalization of same-sex marriage, according to American Oversight, a nonprofit ethics watchdog group in the United States.
She also served as a member of Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020, representing him in the Senate proceedings.
Reports have surfaced that the DOJ recently fired several officials involved in investigating Trump.
These employees had worked on special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, which led up to the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot in 2021, as well as his handling of classified documents. ABC News reported that the DOJ is firing “over a dozen” officials who were part of Smith’s investigation teams.
Trump has repeatedly accused the DOJ under the Joe Biden administration of weaponizing the government, and pledged to seek retribution.
