Welcome to the NewsHour. President-elect Donald Trump's new pick to lead the Department of Justice is receiving a much warmer reception on Capitol Hill and within the Republican Party.

Trump announced former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi just hours after his first choice, scandal-plagued former Congressman Matt Gates, withdrew his name from consideration.

Laura Brown-Lopez is here with more on Bondi's backgrounds.

Laura, who is Pam Bondi? What should we know?

Well, she has a long resume and a lot of experience working with Donald Trump.

So let's start from the beginning. From 2011 to 2019, she was the first female Florida Attorney General in that state.

And then in 2019, she worked on Donald Trump's first impeachment defense team.

From 2019 to 2023, Bondi was a lobbyist with Ballard Partners, which is the firm of

a top Republican fundraiser.

And it's also where Donald Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles,

used to work. And then in 2024, Bondi chaired the legal arm of the Trump-of-the-Trump-aligned

America First Policy Institute. So she's overseen, being Attorney General in Florida,

she's overseen an office that both prosecutes and defend civil and criminal

actions on behalf of that state. Omna, and so that's something that could ultimately work in her

favor because she has a lot more experience than her predecessor, Matt Gates, had. She also is a

notable TV contributor, especially on Fox News, which is something that also works in her favor

with Donald Trump.

So what is the fact that Mr. Trump picked her say about his plans for the Justice Department?

Ultimately, a lot of these picks, even Pam Bondi, goes back to the fact that Donald Trump wants someone who he considers a staunch ally,

someone who he considers a loyalist, and she is definitely that.

And as one source close to the transition put it,

they really believe that she'll be, she'll execute exactly what Donald Trump wants. And Pam Bondi herself has talked extensively about what she thinks should be done at the Justice Department.

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