Matt Gaetz was President-Elect Donald Trump’s first pick to lead the Justice Department. After Gaetz withdrew from consideration, Trump picked Pam Bondi to be Attorney General in his second administration.
AG Pick Number 1: Representative Matt Gaetz
Blowback from Democrats and Republicans alike over Trump’s first pick resulted in news cycle after news cycle talking about the ethics report that was set to be released. The Ethics Committee was investigating Gaetz for alleged sex-trafficking of a minor after the DOJ had declined to prosecute the Representative following their investigation.
After he was named as the pick for AG in the second Trump administration, Gaetz stepped down from his role in the House of Representatives. The timing was suspect to a lot of political analysts because he stepped down the day before a scheduled meeting to decide whether the ethics report would be released to the public. This led many people to speculate that the nomination for AG and his departure from the House was planned.
Matt Gaetz released a statement withdrawing his name from being considered to lead the DOJ because, according to him, he felt bad for embarrassing the administration after attacks were levied against the Trump team for nominating him in the first place. It’s more likely a result of several Republican Senators claiming they would vote “No” in a confirmation hearing for Gaetz.
AG pick Number 2: Pam Bondi
After Matt Gaetz decided to withdraw his name as potential AG, Donald Trump announced his next pick.
According to CNN, her …rise through the Florida state legal system and her fealty to Trumpmake her a key enforcer on his proposed policies around immigration, reproductive health and political retribution.
But Justice employees are still steeling for heavy disruption, given that Trump’s stated plans are to bring the department to heel after being the subject of years of investigations he claims were unfair and politicized.
Some career employees speculate that with Gaetz out of the picture, familiar conservative lawyers who have served at the Justice Department in past Republican administrations will be willing to come back to help Trump’s new administration.”
Who is She?
Trump’s new pick was the first woman to be elected as Attorney General in the state of Florida, serving from 2011 to 2019. She is a lawyer, lobbyist, politician, and a member of the Republican party. She has fought for some of the party’s primary policy objectives.
When running for AG of Florida in 2010, she was propelled into the spotlight after receiving an endorsement from Sarah Palin. Palin’s support, along with regular appearances on Fox News were catalysts for her popularity in Florida’s Conservative circles.
She also led a failed attempt to overturn Obamacare in Florida, with 26 other states joining the lawsuit against the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
ADHD Moment:
Fun Fact About Obamacare
A poll of Republican voters was conducted where people were asked whether or not they supported a healthcare plan that prevented insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, along with a list of other benefits, and the overwhelming majority responded with an enthusiastic “YES.”
In a separate poll, they asked Republican voters if they supported Obamacare and they got resounding “NO” responses.
The group conducting the survey said it was incredible how shocked the “YES” respondents were when it was revealed that the policies they overwhelmingly supported were in the Affordable Care Act, AKA Obamacare. A Morning Consult poll found that one-third of Americans don’t know that Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act are the same thing!
This proves the importance of explaining how policy proposals will benefit working Americans for the Democrats, as well as the consistent success the Right has enjoyed with messaging using key “buzzwords.”
Along with her lawsuit declaring that the ACA provision mandating health insurance was unconstitutional (just a thought: if the government wants to punish people for not having health insurance, why not just have universal healthcare so every American has coverage?*). She also made public that she opposed medical marijuana. Legalization of Marijuana use recreationally is opposed by many Conservative politicians, but it’s not as common to deny its medicinal properties or oppose the ability of physicians to legally prescribe the plant as a medical treatment.
* I know… how Progressive of me to say something so ridonkulous.
At the Republican National Convention in 2016, Trump’s new AG pick was one of the speakers who joined in “Lock her up!” chants referring to the arrest of then-candidate Hillary Clinton. Note how Kamala Harris didn’t participate in scattered “Lock him up!” chants that struggled to grow during some of her rallies. Especially when you consider that Trump had already been charged with 34 felonies. Just an observation…
In 2018, the new pick joined an especially “anti-working class” (my description) lawsuit along with 19 other Republican-led states, where they argued that the provisions of the Affordable Care Act that prevent health insurance companies from denying coverage—or charging higher premiums for coverage—for anyone with pre-existing conditions were illegal.
Why Did Trump Choose Her?
Donald Trump nominated her to head the DOJ for the same reason he has chosen anyone to work in his second administration: Loyalty (and corruption). He wants people who are loyal to him over the United States and/or the Constitution and who won’t hesitate to engage in corrupt—possibly illegal—activities if ordered to do so.
One thing she did in the past that likely influenced his choice took place in 2013. As AG of Florida, she had received over 20 complaints against Trump University and announced that she was considering joining the New York AG at the time in charging Trump for fraud. The Donald J. Trump Foundation then donated $25,000 to her PAC. She subsequently chose not to join the New York AG in charging him. Both claim their actions were unrelated, but it looks like typical bribery.
As a lobbyist, the former Florida AG worked for General Motors, Uber, and other corporations. She also lobbied on behalf of Qatar, being paid $115,000 a month by the Qatari government (which is known for its human rights violations). However, unlike others who were charged for acting as a foreign agent, Bondi was legally registered as a foreign agent at the time.
She is a loyal ally of Donald Trump—check. She loves money—check. She will engage in corruption (possibly crime)—check, check. She also defended Trump during his impeachment trial—bonus check.
During a recent press conference, the lobbyist-politician-lawyer said, “The investigators will be investigated. Because the deep state, last term for President Trump, they were hiding in the shadows. But now they have a spotlight on them, and they can all be investigated.” She was referring to the legitimate investigations of Donald Trump for actual crimes he committed.
Is anyone else concerned about having a U.S. Attorney General who believes there is a “deep state”? And by “deep state” she’s probably referring to Democrats. I think she’s even more willing to carry out political (persecutions) prosecutions than Matt Gaetz.
Yay! No Attorney General Gaetz!
From CNN: Inside the Justice Department, the announcement was met mostly with relief from employees who a week ago were dismayed by the prospect of Gaetz and his slew of ethics and legal issues.
Don’t get too excited about Matt Gaetz no longer being the AG nominee. Bondi is still going to carry out the same orders from future President Trump, she just has a much better chance of sailing through the confirmation process without hiccups.
