Washington:

Continuing his trend of picking loyalists, Donald Trump has made another nomination, selecting Pam Bondi as attorney general. It comes after Matt Gaetz withdrew his candidacy amid a flood of sex-trafficking and drug-taking allegations.

Here are five things to know about Pam Bondi, Trump’s new pick for attorney general: Pam Bondi made history in 2010 when she was elected Florida’s first female attorney general. She has already spent more than 18 years as a prosecutor in the Hillsborough County State’s Attorney’s Office. She rose to prominence only after being appointed as the Principal Legal Officer of the state. In office, Bondi highlighted the problem of human trafficking and advocated for stricter laws on the issue. He also launched a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers in Florida. She held the position for a period of 8 years from 2011-2019. As a longtime ally of Trump, Bondi was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial when the latter was indicted but not accused of involvement in Ukraine. Withheld $400 million in military aid, accusing the president of abusing his power to pressure him into investigating his Democratic rivals. Malik Bondi stood by Trump’s claims of involvement in corruption with Joe Biden’s son Hunter. Although the allegations were never proven, his eagerness to endorse Trump earned him a prominent position at the Republican National Convention that year. Bondi was embroiled in a 16-month-long custody battle over a dog named Master Tank, who was rescued in Florida. After Hurricane Katrina, she adopted him again and named him Noah. The Louisiana family who first discovered her whereabouts in 2006. However, Bondi refused to give it back, citing negligence on the part of the previous owners. “I took a dog that was a walking skeleton,” she told the St. Petersburg Times. “That’s what was wrong with him before the storm.” She added that if it was a stable environment, she would have released the dog back on its own. The two sides then settled with Bondi returning the dog before the trial. Pam Bondi reinforced Trump’s claims of election fraud in 2020 when Joe Biden won the presidential election. A Fox News host asked her “Pam, did you just say fake ballot?” To which he replied, “Could be. That’s the problem.” However, he did not provide any evidence. Trump and Bondi go back many years. “I’ve known Pam for many years — she’s smart and tough, and an American First Fighter, who will do a great job as Attorney General!” she said in a social media post. In 2013, Bondi received a $25,000 donation to a fundraising committee for his attorney general re-election campaign. Meanwhile, his office was dealing with the investigation of Trump and Trump University. Ultimately she did not join the case and moreover both of them denied that she was not part of the case because of the donation.

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