Pam Bondi has been confirmed as the next U.S. attorney general by the Senate. On Tuesday evening, Bondi secured her new position with a 54-46 vote as Senate members largely voted within party lines—except for Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman. He told reporters after the vote that he supported Bondi because she’s “qualified” but admitted she was not his “ideal pick.” The former Florida attorney general was President Donald Trump’s backup choice to lead the Justice Department. Former Florida Representative Matt Gaetz was Trump’s first pick, but was forced to withdraw after a sex scandal hindered his support from the GOP. Gaetz denied the allegations. A fierce Trump loyalist, Bondi struggled with admitting that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election during her confirmation hearing last month. She also claimed “there was a peaceful transition of power,” completely neglecting the Jan. 6 insurrection. Bondi insisted that “politics will not play a part” in her work at the Justice Department and lamented the agency’s state during the Biden administration, where she claimed it was “weaponized for years.”
