She also drew fire for her fundraising practices – and for persuading the governor at the time, Rick Scott, to postpone an execution in 2013 because it conflicted with a fundraiser for her re-election campaign. She later apologised.
Donald Trump at the launch of his now-defunct Trump University in 2005.Credit: AP
She declined to take legal action against Trump University
In 2013, Bondi’s office received nearly two dozen complaints about Trump’s short-lived for-profit university, and her aides said she was considering joining a multistate lawsuit brought on behalf of students who claimed they had been cheated.
Four days later, Bondi’s political action committee received a $US25,000 contribution from a non-profit funded by Trump. She never joined the lawsuit.
Trump and Bondi have denied a quid pro quo. But Trump had to pay a $US2500 fine in 2016 for violating federal tax laws in making the contribution.
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She was a member of Trump’s impeachment defence team
After leaving office in 2019, Bondi was hired by Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm with close ties to Trump, and registered as a lobbyist for Qatar. She has also represented Amazon, Uber and General Motors, records show.
A year later, she joined the team defending Trump during his first impeachment, where she accused former vice president Joe Biden, then a private citizen, of engaging in corrupt business practices with his son Hunter. Those charges have never been substantiated, but her willingness to promote them cemented her bond with Trump and earned her a prime speaking slot at the Republican National Convention later that year.
She supported Trump’s false election claims
After Biden won the 2020 presidential election, Bondi supported Trump’s fabricated claims of election fraud.
In November 2020, Bondi deflected when a Fox News host asked her to back up her assertion that “fake ballots” for Biden were pouring into tabulation centres.
“Pam, did you just say fake ballots?” the host asked.
“There could be. That’s the problem,” replied Bondi, who later accepted a post with America First Policy, a Trump-aligned group.
“Just tell us what you know,” he added.
Bondi, who would be responsible for investigating allegations of irregularities in federal elections as attorney-general, did not provide any evidence.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.