Pam Bondi

Pam Bondi
Born	Pamela Jo Bondi 17 11, 1965
Birthplace	Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Attorney, politician
Title	87th United States Attorney General
Known for	37th Attorney General of Florida; 87th United States Attorney General
Education	University of Florida (B.A.) Stetson University College of Law (J.D.)
Awards	First woman to serve as Attorney General of Florida

Pamela Jo Bondi (born November 17, 1965) is an American attorney and politician serving as the 87th United States Attorney General since February 5, 2025. A member of the Republican Party, Bondi previously served as the 37th Attorney General of Florida from 2011 to 2019, becoming the first woman to hold that office. Born and raised in the Tampa Bay area, Bondi built her legal career as a prosecutor in Hillsborough County, Florida, before entering statewide politics. She gained national prominence through her two terms as Florida's attorney general and her subsequent involvement in the legal and policy circles surrounding President Donald Trump, including serving as one of his defense lawyers during his first impeachment trial in 2020. In November 2024, Trump announced his intention to nominate Bondi for U.S. attorney general after former congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration for the position. Bondi was confirmed by the United States Senate in a 54–46 vote on February 4, 2025, and was sworn in the following day. Her tenure as the nation's chief law enforcement officer has drawn significant media attention, including scrutiny over her handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein and broader questions about the direction of the United States Department of Justice.

Early Life

Pamela Jo Bondi was born on November 17, 1965, in Tampa, Florida, to Joseph C. Bondi Jr. and Patsy Loretta Hammer. She was raised in the Tampa Bay area, where her family had deep roots in the local community.

Bondi grew up in a household that valued public service and civic engagement. Her father, Joseph C. Bondi Jr., was a city council member in Temple Terrace, a suburb of Tampa. These early influences in a politically active family shaped her interest in law and government. Bondi was initially registered as a Democrat, a party affiliation she maintained from 1984 until 2000, when she switched her registration to the Republican Party.

Growing up in the Tampa Bay area during the 1970s and 1980s, Bondi attended local schools before pursuing her higher education at Florida institutions. Her upbringing in a mid-sized Florida metropolitan area, combined with her family's involvement in local government, provided her with an understanding of state and municipal politics that would later prove instrumental in her career as both a prosecutor and a statewide elected official.

Education

Bondi attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. She then pursued her legal education at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida, one of the oldest law schools in the state of Florida. Upon completing her Juris Doctor degree at Stetson, Bondi was admitted to the Florida Bar. Her education at two prominent Florida institutions established the foundation for a legal career that would be spent entirely within the state before her elevation to the federal level in 2025.

Career

Early Prosecutorial Career

After completing law school, Bondi began her career in public service as an assistant state attorney in Hillsborough County, Florida. She served in this role from 1994 to 2009, spending approximately fifteen years as a prosecutor in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. During this period, Bondi handled a range of criminal cases and developed expertise in prosecution that would become central to her political identity.

Among the notable cases during her tenure as a prosecutor was the case involving former Major League Baseball pitcher Dwight Gooden, who in 2006 chose prison over a court-ordered drug rehabilitation program. Bondi was involved in the prosecution's handling of Gooden's repeated violations of his probation terms.

Bondi's lengthy service as a line prosecutor gave her courtroom experience and name recognition within Florida's legal community that she would leverage when she entered the race for attorney general.

Attorney General of Florida

2010 Election

In 2010, Bondi entered the race for Attorney General of Florida. She ran as a Republican and won the general election, becoming the first woman to serve as Florida's attorney general. She took office on January 4, 2011, succeeding Bill McCollum, who had vacated the position to run for governor.

Bondi served under Governor Rick Scott and quickly established herself as an active attorney general who engaged with high-profile issues. Her office dealt with a wide range of matters including consumer protection, Medicaid fraud, human trafficking, and drug enforcement.

Execution Scheduling Controversy

In September 2013, Bondi faced public criticism after it was revealed that she had requested the postponement of a scheduled execution so that it would not conflict with a campaign fundraiser she was hosting. The case involved a death row inmate whose execution date had been set by the governor's office. Bondi acknowledged the scheduling request and publicly apologized, stating, "I should not have requested the execution be moved." The incident drew scrutiny from both political opponents and media commentators regarding the prioritization of political fundraising over official duties.

2014 Re-election

Bondi ran for re-election in 2014 and won, becoming the first Republican to win a second term as Florida's attorney general. She was term-limited in 2018 and was succeeded by fellow Republican Ashley Moody, who took office on January 8, 2019.

Trump University Investigation and Donation Controversy

One of the most scrutinized episodes of Bondi's tenure as Florida attorney general involved her office's decision not to join a multi-state investigation into Trump University in 2013. The timeline of events attracted significant media and ethics attention.

In 2013, the New York Attorney General's office had filed a lawsuit against Trump University, alleging the institution had defrauded students. Several other state attorneys general were considering joining or launching their own investigations. Reports indicated that Bondi's office had received complaints from Floridians about Trump University and that her office was reviewing the matter.

Around the same time that Bondi's office was considering the investigation, the Donald J. Trump Foundation made a $25,000 political contribution to a political committee supporting Bondi's re-election campaign. The contribution was made on September 17, 2013. Shortly afterward, Bondi's office announced it would not pursue an investigation into Trump University.

The Associated Press reported that Bondi had personally solicited the donation from Trump around the time her office was deliberating on whether to investigate his university. The donation drew scrutiny from ethics watchdogs. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint regarding the Trump Foundation's contribution, arguing that it constituted an improper use of charitable funds for political purposes.

The Trump Organization subsequently acknowledged the donation was a mistake, and the Trump Foundation paid a $2,500 penalty to the Internal Revenue Service for violating rules prohibiting tax-exempt charitable organizations from making political contributions.

In 2019, a New York state judge ordered Trump to pay $2 million in damages for misusing his foundation's charitable funds, a case that encompassed the donation to Bondi's political committee among other instances of improper foundation expenditures.

Governor Rick Scott defended Bondi against the criticism, characterizing calls for investigation as "partisan politics." Bondi denied any connection between the donation and her office's decision not to investigate Trump University, and no criminal charges were filed against her in connection with the matter.

The controversy resurfaced during the 2016 presidential campaign as Trump faced broader scrutiny over Trump University and the operations of his charitable foundation.

Response to Orlando Nightclub Shooting

Following the June 2016 mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, Bondi expressed sympathy for the victims and their families. However, her response drew criticism from LGBT rights advocates and some media commentators, who noted that Bondi had, as attorney general, actively opposed same-sex marriage and fought in court to uphold Florida's ban on same-sex marriage. Critics argued that her expressions of solidarity with the LGBT community were inconsistent with her legal record. The New York Times reported on the broader political divide over gay rights that the shooting exposed, noting the tension between Bondi's public statements of support for the victims and her office's legal positions against same-sex marriage rights.

Opioid Crisis and Other Initiatives

During her two terms, Bondi made combating the opioid epidemic in Florida a priority of her office. She also worked on issues related to human trafficking, consumer protection, and Medicaid fraud enforcement. Bondi's office joined multi-state litigation on various issues and participated in national attorneys general coalitions on matters of shared concern.

Post-Florida Attorney General Career

Trump Impeachment Defense

After leaving the attorney general's office in January 2019, Bondi remained active in Republican legal and political circles. In 2020, she served as one of President Donald Trump's defense lawyers during his first impeachment trial in the United States Senate. In this role, Bondi presented arguments regarding allegations of corruption involving then-former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden in connection with Ukrainian business dealings. Her participation in the impeachment defense raised her national profile and solidified her position within Trump's political orbit.

America First Policy Institute

By 2024, Bondi had assumed a leadership role at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank aligned with the political agenda of Donald Trump. She led the organization's legal arm, positioning herself at the intersection of conservative legal strategy and Trump-aligned policy development. This role kept Bondi closely connected to the network of legal and political figures who would become central to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and subsequent transition efforts.

United States Attorney General

Nomination and Confirmation

On November 21, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Bondi as United States Attorney General. The announcement came after former congressman Matt Gaetz, Trump's initial choice for the position, withdrew from consideration amid controversy over his own legal and ethical issues.

Bondi's nomination proceeded through the Senate Judiciary Committee and was brought to the full Senate for a vote. On February 4, 2025, the Senate confirmed Bondi in a 54–46 vote, largely along party lines. She was sworn in as the 87th United States Attorney General on February 5, 2025, succeeding Merrick Garland.

Tenure

Bondi's tenure as attorney general has been marked by significant public and congressional attention. Her deputy attorneys general have included Emil Bove, who served in an acting capacity, and Todd Blanche.

A prominent area of focus and controversy has been the handling of files related to the death of Jeffrey Epstein. In February 2025, Bondi participated in a hearing regarding the release and review of Epstein-related documents. The hearing and subsequent developments generated extensive media coverage and political debate.

In February 2026, Democratic Representatives Ted Lieu and Dan Goldman called for a special counsel investigation into Bondi, accusing her of perjury in connection with her testimony regarding the Epstein files. Separately, questions have been raised about the legal career of Bondi's brother, Brad Bondi, and his courtroom success rate during her tenure as attorney general. Lawmakers demanded documents related to Brad Bondi's cases, though the Department of Justice missed the deadline for producing them.

Commentary on Bondi's use of grand jury proceedings has also featured in legal analysis, with critics questioning her approach to the grand jury process.

Personal Life

Bondi was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, and has maintained deep ties to the Tampa Bay area throughout her career. Her father, Joseph C. Bondi Jr., served on the Temple Terrace city council, and her mother is Patsy Loretta Hammer.

Bondi has been married and divorced twice. Since 2017, she has been in a relationship with John Wakefield.

Bondi was initially registered as a member of the Democratic Party from 1984 to 2000, before switching her registration to the Republican Party.

Recognition

Bondi's election as Attorney General of Florida in 2010 was a historic milestone, as she became the first woman to hold the position in the state's history. Her re-election in 2014 made her the first Republican to serve two consecutive terms in the office.

Her confirmation as the 87th United States Attorney General in February 2025 placed her among a relatively small number of women to have served as the nation's chief law enforcement officer. The position has been held by only a few women in its history, including Janet Reno and Loretta Lynch.

Throughout her career, Bondi has been recognized within Republican legal circles for her prosecutorial background and her involvement in high-profile legal and political matters, including the defense of President Trump during his first impeachment trial.