Pam Bondi Sworn In, Takes Charge of DOJ

Fetterman sided with Republicans in 54-46 vote on Tuesday
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 4, 2025 7:43 PM CST
Updated Feb 5, 2025 11:20 AM CST
Senate Confirms Pam Bondi as AG
Pam Bondi is sworn in as Attorney General by Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, right, as partner John Wakefield and mother Patsy Bondi, look on, in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
UPDATE Feb 5, 2025 11:20 AM CST

Pam Bondi was sworn in Wednesday as attorney general, taking charge of the Justice Department as it braces for upheaval. The ceremony took place in the Oval Office and marked the first time President Trump has participated in a second-term swearing-in of a Cabinet member—further evidence of his intense personal interest in the operations of the department that investigated him during his first term and then brought two since-abandoned indictments after he left office in 2021, reports the AP. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas administered the oath of office, and Bondi told the president, "I will make you proud and I will make this country proud. I will restore integrity to the Justice Department and I will fight violent crime throughout this country and throughout this world, and make America safe again."

Feb 4, 2025 7:43 PM CST

The Senate confirmed Pam Bondi as US attorney general Tuesday evening, putting a longtime ally of President Trump at the helm of a Justice Department that has already been rattled by the firings of career employees seen as disloyal to the president. The vote fell almost entirely along party lines, with only Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, joining with all Republicans to pass her confirmation 54-46, reports the AP.

  • Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and corporate lobbyist, is expected to oversee a radical reshaping of the department that has been the target of Trump's ire over the criminal cases it brought against him . She enters with the FBI, which she will oversee, in turmoil over the scrutiny of agents involved in investigations related to the president, who has made clear his desire to seek revenge on his perceived adversaries.

  • Republicans have praised Bondi as a highly qualified leader they contend will bring much-needed change to a department they believe unfairly pursued Trump through investigations resulting in two indictments.
  • "Pam Bondi has promised to get the department back to its core mission: prosecuting crime and protecting Americans from threats to their safety and their freedoms," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
  • While Bondi has sought to reassure Democrats that politics would play no part in her decision-making, she also refused at her confirmation hearing last month to rule out potential investigations into Trump's adversaries.
  • Trump nominated Bondi for attorney general after it became clear that his initial pick, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, could not win enough support from Republican senators to be confirmed.
(More Pam Bondi stories.)

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