Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi‘s selection by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Justice will be a “relief” for Senate Republicans, Washington Examiner Chief Political Correspondent Byron York said.
“Clearly, Trump is in a hurry, and one thing that the Gaetz nomination promised to be was really slow,” York said on Fox News’s Special Report with Bret Baier. “It was gonna drag its way through the Senate if it could ever even succeed, which it probably couldn’t.”
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew himself from consideration for attorney general on Thursday, citing the distraction his nomination played regarding Trump’s transition back to the White House.
“There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General,” Gaetz said in a statement posted to X.
“Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1,” he added.
I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance…
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 21, 2024
Hours after the Gaetz statement, Trump selected Bondi.
She served eight years as the attorney general for Florida, was one of Trump’s defense lawyers during his first impeachment, and is close to the Trump family.
“Her appointment will be a big relief to the Senate Republicans who either opposed Gaetz or were on the fence about Gaetz,” according to York. “They will be happy to support Pam Bondi.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
York is not as sure about how Senate Democrats will react or what objections they will raise, but he suggested she should be confirmed.
“Unless she’s committed a double-murder or something we don’t know about, she’s gonna get confirmed pretty easily I think,” he said.