USA Trump nominates new candidate for Attorney General

Following the withdrawal of his preferred candidate Matt Gaetz, US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated a former state prosecutor as his future Attorney General.

Pam Bondi was previously Attorney General of Florida, among other positions. Trump had originally intended to appoint the controversial congressman Gaetz to the post. However, he gave up a few hours earlier.

Bondi had been a state prosecutor for around 20 years, Trump emphasized. In Gaetz's case, he was criticized for lacking legal expertise and not having enough experience for the job.

Above all, however, Gaetz's nomination was torpedoed by accusations that he had had sex with a minor and used drugs. The 42-year-old has always denied both. However, several Republican senators publicly questioned whether Gaetz would be confirmed by the congressional chamber. The Ethics Committee of the House of Representatives had drawn up a report on the allegations - but did not initially publish it, as Gaetz immediately gave up his seat in the chamber after the nomination, which is usually accompanied by a suspension of the proceedings against him.

In view of the narrow Republican majority among the 100 senators, a ministerial appointment would fail with just four no votes from their camp. Bondi should have a much better chance of getting through the Congress chamber. The 59-year-old has been an active Trump supporter for some time and stood by the former president in the first impeachment proceedings against him in Congress in 2019. In recent months, she has criticized the proceedings against Trump in TV appearances and portrayed him as being persecuted by the investigating prosecutors for political motives.

SDA