With the swearing-in of Pam Bondi as our next attorney general, a two-tiered Department of Justice (DOJ) will be replaced by one dedicated to the even-handed rule of law. Based on our years of working directly for Bondi and our senior-level experience at the DOJ and Florida Attorney General’s Office, Bondi is the perfect fit for restoring public confidence in our justice system.
As a state court prosecutor, Bondi spent two decades in the trenches prosecuting criminals. A tested courtroom veteran, she has worked closely with federal and state agencies to ensure that the folks wearing the white hats are collaborating on real crimes rather than wasting time on bureaucratic infighting — or using the legal system to settle political scores.
As Florida’s attorney general, Bondi handled a sprawling bureaucracy and kept it focused on its core duty to protect Floridians. Her tenure saw her working across the country and across the aisle with state and federal colleagues to uphold and enforce the law. Notably, her signature accomplishments were with human trafficking and illegal drugs.
Working with federal prosecutors, Bondi pioneered initiatives between parents, businesses, and children to educate and protect against sexual exploitation. She fought the “pill mills” that plagued Florida in the 2010’s and filed suit against opioid makers. Both efforts provide out-of-the-box experience needed to address the problems pouring through Biden’s open border.
But Bondi’s hallmark has always been her selfless drive for her community and the public good, with an unceasing humility; whether people have known her for 25 years or 25 minutes, she is always known as just “Pam.” With a moral compass defined by her love of family, community and justice, Bondi has the vision to know what reforms are needed and the courage to undertake them.
Most importantly, Bondi’s decades of public service will give her the experience to know what does not need reform as well as what does. While federal law enforcement is primarily staffed by dedicated agents, the same is not true for a large portion of its leadership. Consider the double standards identified by Special Counsel John Durham in his report on the Russia hoax: “Unlike the FBI’s opening a full investigation of unknown members of the Trump campaign based on raw, uncorroborated information, in this separate matter involving a purported Clinton campaign plan, the FBI never opened any type of inquiry, issued any taskings, employed any analytical personnel, or produced any analytical products in connection with the information.”
As to the infamous laptop, a Federal Court found that the FBI “likely misled social media companies into believing the Hunter Biden laptop story was Russian disinformation” despite having had the laptop in its possession for almost a year. And of course, the DOJ through a special counsel indicted Trump for activity which earned Biden a simple warning from Special Counsel Robert Hur that “lapses in attention and vigilance demonstrate why former officials should not keep classified materials unsecured at home and read them aloud to others.”
While these leadership failures necessitate broad reforms, Bondi will know where and how to make the changes needed to let the staff in the trenches flourish and restore the nation’s pride in the DOJ. And for those worried that this department may be politicized, you can be assured that, unlike Merrick Garland, Bondi will focus on the rule of law rather than wasting time with raids on the homes of former First Ladies. Bondi will restore the DOJ to its full honor and mission of combating crime to Make America Safe Again and Make the Department of Justice Trusted Again.
Jessica Hart Steinmann, General Counsel of the Center for Litigation at America First Policy Institute and former senior official at the Department of Justice.
Richard Lawson, Senior Litigator at the America First Policy Institute and former senior official at the Florida Attorney General’s Office.
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