Pam Bondi has spent much of her time as attorney general wrangling with ethics officials determined to keep her from holding onto gifts, a new report revealed Monday.
Bondi and her staff repeatedly pushed back on federal rules limiting gifts, a source familiar with the discussions told The New Yorker. Among the items at issue: a FIFA soccer ball that Trump himself lobbed her way after a meeting, and a box of cigars from mixed-martial-arts star Conor McGregor, who recently lost his appeal in a civil case where he was found liable for sexual assault.
“Every new administration needs time to adjust to ethics rules that might seem trivial,” the source said. “What wasn’t normal was the amount of pushback that we got.”
A Department of Justice spokesperson told the Daily Beast, “Whenever the AG receives any item, DOJ staff consults with ethics officials as required and fully complies with their guidance-this isn’t newsworthy or controversial.”
In July—right as the Jeffrey Epstein scandal dominated headlines—Bondi made clear she wanted a seat in the president’s box at the FIFA Club World Cup finals.
Ethics officials warned that accepting the perk could violate federal gift restrictions. Bondi’s staff argued she might need to be there to brief Trump on security matters.
She was told she could enter the box to answer the president’s questions, but that was it.
Bondi and her husband nonetheless joined Trump in the VIP section, where he gave her his trademark thumbs-up, according to the New Yorker.
A department official later said Bondi did not resist the ethics guidance and insisted the couple didn’t remain for the entire game.
The back-and-forth over freebies became a recurring theme, with staffers and ethics officers locked in a tug-of-war between the letter of the rules and Bondi’s interpretation of them, the source suggested.
Trump, meanwhile, took anything he could get, even the original Club World Cup trophy, along with a medal and a place on the stage as the victors, Chelsea Football Club, celebrated their win.
