Jan 18, 2025 Story by: Publisher
Pam Bondi, nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ), faces criticism from the Legal Defense Fund, which claims she has a history of “undermining” voting rights. The organization’s report argues that Bondi’s record as Florida’s attorney general and her role as chair of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) make her unsuitable for the position of U.S. attorney general.
“Ms. Bondi has a record of limiting voting rights, baselessly undermining faith in U.S. elections, and encouraging politically motivated prosecutions as an act of vengeance,” the report asserts.
The report highlights the DOJ’s historical role in protecting voting rights, particularly in the post-Shelby County v. Holder era, during which efforts to suppress the voting rights of Black communities and other minority groups have increased. It emphasizes the DOJ’s critical responsibility to uphold free and fair elections and ensure equal justice under the law.
Bondi’s Track Record as Florida Attorney General
During her tenure as Florida attorney general, Bondi served on the state clemency board, where she and other officials exercised broad discretion to deny voting rights to formerly incarcerated individuals. The report notes that Bondi later introduced a rule mandating a five-year waiting period before individuals could request rights restoration.
According to the report, this policy disproportionately impacted Black voting-age Floridians, disenfranchising one in four.
Actions with the America First Policy Institute
The report also examines Bondi’s tenure at AFPI, where she continued efforts perceived as undermining voting rights. After Trump’s 2020 election loss, Bondi supported claims of voter fraud, including representing Julie Adams of the Fulton County Board of Elections. She argued Adams could decertify election results based solely on “mere suspicion of voter fraud.”
As chair of AFPI’s Center for Litigation, Bondi led a lawsuit challenging President Joe Biden’s authority to safeguard ballot access for Black voters, people of color, and those requiring language assistance to vote.
“Ms. Bondi’s record of actively seeking to limit voting rights, coupled with her attempts to undermine the integrity of our elections by supporting President-Elect Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen, should raise grave concerns among Senators who will be tasked with considering her nomination,” the report states.
Opposition to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Policies
The report criticizes Bondi’s endorsement of a “radical, so-called ‘colorblind’ view of the law.” It highlights AFPI’s support for the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to prohibit race-conscious admissions in schools.
“As Attorney General, Ms. Bondi would be positioned to impose her colorblind vision of the law by declining to defend federal programs that seek to remedy past and ongoing discrimination,” the report warns.
Legal Defense Fund’s Conclusion
The report concludes that Bondi is “wholly unfit to lead the Justice Department and poses a threat to the independence and integrity of this critical agency.” The NAACP Legal Defense Fund has urged senators to reject her nomination.
Response from Trump’s Transition Team
Gates McGavick, a spokesperson for the Trump-Vance Transition, dismissed the criticism, stating, “The idea that supporting basic election safeguards constitutes ‘undermining voting rights’ is a cheap, debunked far-left conspiracy theory. Pam Bondi believes in making it easy to vote and hard to cheat.”
Source: The Hill
