AILSA CHANG, HOST:
After former Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration for U.S. attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump turned to another Floridian - Pam Bondi. She was Florida's attorney general for eight years. She helped lead other states in challenging the Affordable Care Act, and she became a frequent guest on Fox News. She has also long been close to Trump and was on his legal team in his first impeachment trial. NPR's Greg Allen has followed Bondi's career in Florida and joins us now. Hi, Greg.
GREG ALLEN, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: Hi. OK, so what can you tell us about Bondi's background and how she became Trump's nominee for attorney general?
ALLEN: Well, Pam Bondi is 59. She grew up in the Tampa area, and she worked as a prosecutor at the beginning of her career at the State Attorney's Office there in Hillsborough County. In 2010 is when she was elected Florida's attorney general, and then she served two terms alongside Florida's then-governor-now-senator, Rick Scott. And both, of course, are conservative Republicans who were fiercely opposed to President Obama's Affordable Care Act. She led a group of Republican attorneys general who tried to get the courts to overturn that law, unsuccessfully. And after serving as attorney general, Bondi then went to work for a lobbying firm that had close ties to many Republicans, including Trump.
CHANG: And how far back do her connections go with Trump?
ALLEN: Well, at least as far back as 2013. That's when Bondi, who was then preparing to run for reelection as attorney general, got a $25,000 donation from Donald Trump. And around that same time, Bondi's staff was reviewing complaints from Floridians who felt that they'd been bilked of their money after enrolling in Trump University. Bondi later announced that her office was dropping that case, and then several months later, Trump held a fundraiser for Bondi at Mar-a-Lago. And in that Trump University case, you might recall Trump ultimately ended up paying some $25 million to settle class action lawsuits that alleged fraud.
CHANG: That's right. OK. Well, what has her relationship with Trump been like since she left her job as Florida's attorney general?
ALLEN: Well, she's really become part of his close circle of friends and legal advisers here in Florida. She was on his legal team in his first impeachment. She backed him after the 2020 election in claiming, incorrectly, that there was widespread fraud that cost him the election. She's been a frequent guest over the years on Fox News, where she's always been one of Trump's most steadfast defenders. Here she is in August of 2022, slamming Attorney General Merrick Garland after federal agents searched Mar-a-Lago for classified documents that Trump took with him when he left the White House.
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PAM BONDI: They thought Donald Trump would look like a common criminal, but it backfired on them. And the American people have seen what they've done, and they are disgusted by this. And he's got a lot more explaining to do.
ALLEN: You know, Trump pleaded not guilty in that Mar-a-Lago documents case, and it was dismissed. It is currently under appeal. Bondi was also one of those who went to New York during Trump's trial on charges that he paid hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and, you know, appeared in the courtroom to show support for him at that time.
CHANG: OK. So I imagine Bondi is a favorite among Republicans in Florida. My guess is not so much among Democrats?
ALLEN: Right. I mean, she's always been an outspoken advocate in the courts and on television for conservative causes. She tried to block same-sex marriages from going forward in Florida, for example. The head of Florida's Democratic Party, Nikki Fried, says that while Bondi was attorney general here, she was not known as a hands-on prosecutor. Fried says that Bondi's chief qualification for the job, in her view, is that she's a Trump loyalist.
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NIKKI FRIED: She is not going to get her hands involved in the day-to-day operations per se, but she is going to be the one who's going to get onto Fox News, be in there in the media outlets and continue to prosecute for the president.
ALLEN: Fried worries that after the controversy surrounding Matt Gaetz, Bondi will now get a pass and be confirmed without enough scrutiny of her record.
CHANG: Well, let's talk about that, because Gaetz and other Trump administration nominees have faced scrutiny about issues in their personal lives. Has anything personal come up about Bondi yet?
ALLEN: Well, certainly nothing compared to what we've seen with Matt Gaetz. She was married twice and is now single. One of Pam Bondi's main passions, though, has long been dogs and finding homes for rescue animals. She made pet adoption events a regular part of the monthly cabinet meetings in Tallahassee when she served with then-Governor Rick Scott. Bondi's affection for dogs also is - relates to a story that put her in the national news after Hurricane Katrina.
CHANG: OK.
ALLEN: She adopted a St. Bernard, got in a custody dispute and eventually had to return the dog.
CHANG: Oh. That is NPR's Greg Allen in Miami. Thank you, Greg.
ALLEN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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