Democratic senators plan to question President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general about her history as a lobbyist and the potential conflicts of interest, a clear display of how the party’s early attacks on Trump 2.0 are focused on corporate influence over the new administration.
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a Trump loyalist who replaced former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department, has previously lobbied for a host of corporate clients, including Amazon, Uber, and the GEO Group; a massive private prison company; and for the governments of Qatar, the Dominican Republic, Zimbabwe and Kosovo. The Florida-based firm where she worked, Ballard Partners, which also employed incoming Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles, has dozens of more corporate clients.
Since Trump’s victory in November, Democrats have criticized the new administration as corrupt influence-peddlers, a strategy they’ve been using as billionaire tech leaders, pharmaceutical company executives and others made the trip to Mar-a-Lago to curry favor with Trump, often topping it off with a sizable check to his inaugural fund.
Bondi’s lobbying work makes her confirmation hearing ― which is unlikely to prove a major roadblock to her confirmation ― a chance for the party to deploy their message on an at least somewhat prominent stage.
“That has been a subject of concern about her,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a member of the committee who has been outspoken on the influence of money in politics, though he declined to get into detail about how he planned to question the Floridian.
Bondi’s record of pay-to-play politics dates back to her tenure as Florida’s attorney general, when she heavily solicited business donations to her campaigns. Some of her lobbying clients have clear interests before the Justice Department ― GEO Group is a major DOJ contractor, and Amazon has faced antitrust and labor investigations in recent years. Democrats could push for a commitment from Bondi to recuse herself from cases involving her clients, or any clients of Ballard Partners.
Democratic party operatives have circulated research focusing not only on Bondi but also on her brother, Brad Bondi, who runs the white collar defense practice at Paul Hastings, a multinational law firm. Senators could ask Bondi how she will handle cases potentially involving her brother’s clients.
Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is set to tell Bondi he has “questions about whether you will focus on the needs of the American people, rather than on wealthy special interests.”
“I am concerned that you failed to identify your extensive lobbying for foreign governments and big corporations as potential conflicts of interest,” Durbin will say in his opening statement.
Trump’s presidential transition team has insisted Bondi worked as attorney general in Florida with “complete integrity,” and said she and other appointees will follow the “ethical obligations of their respective agencies.”
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Durbin’s opening statement makes it clear Democratic questioning won’t focus exclusively on Bondi’s corporate ties, with the Illinois senator also raising the spectre of Bondi’s work to overturn the 2020 election and her echoing of Trump’s call for revenge against his political enemies.
“I need to know you would tell President Trump ‘No’ if you are faced with a choice between your oath to the Constitution and your loyalty to Mr. Trump,” Durbin will say.
Igor Bobic contributed reporting.