The Justice Department, Attorney General, and the First Donald Trump Presidency: When Will Ms. Bondi Become a Lawyer General?

But, more than prior presidents, Mr. Trump has made clear that he expects unwavering devotion from his appointees. More than other cabinet members, the attorney general must exercise independence with respect to criminal charging decisions. The question, then, is whether Ms. Bondi can do that as the attorney general, despite her prior work with and around Mr. Trump, or whether she will enable his worst instincts.

She has always been very supportive of Mr. Trump. She was his lawyer at his first trial. She gushed about Mr. Trump in a 2016 speech at the Republican National Convention and when the crowd began chanting, “lock her up,” she said, “I love that.”

The incoming administration has selected several lawyers to senior posts, including one who was involved in representing Trump before the Supreme Court and two who represented Trump in state and federal court.

The Justice Department will have enormous powers if she is confirmed. She will be responsible for enforcing federal laws, including voting and civil rights laws, as well as defending the Trump administration’s policies in court.

“The president-elect has made it clear that he values one thing above all else in an attorney general: loyalty,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, earlier this week. “I have no reason to believe President-elect Trump has changed his litmus test for attorney general or his views on how the Justice Department should operate. In fact, I fear he found someone who can pass his loyalty test.”

Those kinds of comments have been used to fuel concerns among Democrats that the department will use its prosecutorial power to pursue Trump’s desire for vengeance.

“The Department of Justice, the prosecutors will be prosecuted. She said on Fox News that the bad ones. The investigators will be investigated because the deep state that was hiding in the shadows during President Trump’s tenure now has a spotlight on it and they can all be investigated.

Trump claimed to have been harmed by the Justice Department, but he also said that he would seek vengeance against his political enemies.

After leaving office, Trump faced four criminal prosecutions, including two federal cases brought by special counsel Jack Smith into Trump’s handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Much of Trump’s first presidency took place in the shadow of Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.

You might know her from: She served as Florida’s attorney general for eight years, and later served as a personal attorney for President Trump during his first impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate.

The first pick was a former congressman from Florida who was accused of sexual harassment and of drug use. Gaetz has consistently denied those allegations. After Trump appointed her for the job, Republicans welcomed her because they had little enthusiasm for Gaetz.

The Attorney General Report to the Complaints Committee on ‘Inaccuracy and Manipulation of the Prosecutor’

What does this role do? The attorney general is the leader of the Justice Department and oversees more than 100,000 employees.