Bondi was an architect of Trump’s election denial in Pennsylvania after the 2020 presidential election. Rudy Giuliani claimed Bondi had approached him about challenging ballots in Pennsylvania. Bondi went on television to sow distrust in the election and falsely claimed Trump had won Pennsylvania. Bondi did not provide evidence to claims there were fake ballots and when pressed, claimed it “could” be happening. Bondi is a proven Trump loyalist and has defended him legally on multiple occasions. She served as one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial and helped orchestrate his 2020 election challenge in Pennsylvania. A former White House aide described Bondi as “the first wave of the Big Lie.” Bondi claimed the justice system was weaponized against Trump and supported him during his hush money trial in New York. Trump said Bondi would help “refocus” the Justice Department away from him and other Republicans.
As Florida Attorney General, Bondi had a history of using her office to her benefit. In her first term as Florida Attorney General, her office fired two investigators who were building a case against a company that contributed to Bondi’s 2010 campaign. In 2013, Bondi refused to investigate Trump University on fraud charges after the Trump Family Foundation donated $25,000 to her affiliated PAC. In 2014, Bondi convinced then-Governor Rick Scott to move a state execution because it conflicted with her campaign event.
On top of her loyalty to Trump, Bondi's career is highlighted with her extreme right wing positions that she will use her position to force on Americans. She opposes the right to an abortion, marriage equality, adoption by same-sex couples, and DACA, endangering millions of Americans' rights.
November 4, 2020: Bondi Said The Trump Campaign Was “Thrilled To Have Won Pennsylvania With 87 Percent Of The Vote In, And We’re Up Almost 400,000 Votes.” VIDEO [00:09:37] PAM BONDI: As Eric Trump said, we are thrilled to have won Pennsylvania with 87 percent of the vote in, and we’re up almost 400,000 votes, so we’re thrilled. So you ask why do we care about the rest of the votes? Because it is about the integrity of this election and every vote, as Mayor Giuliani said, in every state must be counted fairly. [C-SPAN, 11/4/20]
November 4, 2020: Bondi Declared At A News Conference That Trump “Won Pennsylvania” While Votes Were Still Being Counted, Claiming That “We Want Every Vote To Be Counted In A Fair Way.” According to the Tampa Bay Times, “One of the central players in President Donald Trump’s effort to sow doubt in the American election system used to be Florida’s top law enforcement official. Pam Bondi, who served as attorney general from 2011 until 2019, has been an outspoken figure in Trump’s push to de-legitimize the vote counting in Pennsylvania. At a Wednesday news conference in Philadelphia, Bondi appeared alongside Trump lawyer and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to decry what they said was voter fraud. ‘We’ve won Pennsylvania, and we want every vote to be counted in a fair way,’ Bondi, a Republican, told reporters. The first half of what the former attorney general said is false: Trump, the Republican candidate, may still win Pennsylvania, but he has not yet.” [Tampa Bay Times, 11/6/20]
Rudy Giuliani Claimed Bondi Approached Him About Challenging Pennsylvania’s Ballots In The 2020 Election. According to the Washington Post, "Bondi and another Trump loyalist, Corey Lewandowski, quickly discovered that pandemic protocols were preventing Republican observers from closely scrutinizing ballots Trump had claimed were susceptible to fraud. So they called one of the president’s most high-profile hired guns — former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. ‘I said, ‘Gee Pam … I don’t have the time,’ Giuliani recalled to a D.C. Bar committee that later ruled that his election challenge in Pennsylvania was grounds for disbarment. ‘I really didn’t want to go because I had so many things to organize, and it seemed to me that just one jurisdiction wasn’t worth sacrificing getting started in the others.’" [Washington Post, 12/16/24]
November 2020: Bondi Claimed On Fox News, Without Evidence, That “Fake Ballots” Were Being Counted In Pennsylvania And, When Asked To Clarify, She Said That “Could Be” Happening. According to the Tampa Bay Times, “During a Thursday appearance on Fox News’ Fox and Friends program, Bondi said the campaign’s previous inability to closely observe the ballot counting made the environment ripe for fraud. She did not provide evidence. ‘For every vote that came in late, that was postmarked late…that discounts every legal vote that came in,’ Bondi said. ’That means the good residents who are all supporting us in Pennsylvania, their votes don’t count by these fake ballots that are coming in late…They’re not letting us watch the process.’ ‘Pam, did you just say ‘fake ballots?’’ the program’s host, Steve Doocy, then asked. ‘There could be. That’s the problem. If they’re letting — we don’t know, Steve,’ Bondi said.” [Tampa Bay Times, 11/6/20]
November 2020: Bondi Tweeted Falsely That Real Clear Politics Had “Rescinded” A Call That Biden Had Won Pennsylvania. According to The New York Times, “On Monday evening and into Tuesday, a strain of false information that Democratic presidential candidate Joseph R. Biden Jr. had lost Pennsylvania and his president-elect status began to surge. High-profile right-wing personalities like Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, and Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, helped set the rumor in motion on Monday when they tweeted, incorrectly, that the political news site Real Clear Politics had ‘rescinded’ its call that Mr. Biden was projected to win Pennsylvania.” [New York Times, 11/10/20]
2013: After The Trump Family Foundation Donated $25,000 To A Bondi-Affiliated PAC, Bondi’s Office Did Not Investigate Trump University Fraud Claims. According to the New York Times, "Ms. Bondi’s detractors have also accused her of being soft on her political donors, including Mr. Trump. Her office decided in 2013 not to formally investigate fraud claims involving Trump University shortly after Mr. Trump’s family foundation contributed $25,000 to a political action committee associated with Ms. Bondi." [New York Times, 12/5/24]
Florida Attorney General’s Office Fired Two Investigators Who Were Building A Case Against A Company That Contributed To Bondi’s 2010 Campaign. According to the New York Times, "Early in Ms. Bondi’s tenure, her office forced out two investigators who had built a case against a company that helped lenders fraudulently foreclose on homeowners. The company under investigation had contributed to Ms. Bondi’s 2010 campaign. An inspector general’s report concluded that no one in the state attorney general’s office had violated any laws or rules. The ousted investigators declined to comment." [New York Times, 12/5/24]
2014: Bondi Convinced Gov. Rick Scott To Postpone A State Execution Because It Conflicted With Her Campaign Event. According to the Tampa Bay Times, "There is no graver responsibility and act of state government than an execution. In Florida this week, a campaign fundraiser takes precedence. Attorney General Pam Bondi persuaded Gov. Rick Scott to postpone an execution scheduled for tonight because it conflicted with her re-election kick-off reception. […] Gore was initially scheduled for execution in June, but the date was twice delayed because of legal skirmishes over Gore's sanity. After Scott last month rescheduled the execution for Sept. 10, the date of Bondi's ‘hometown campaign kickoff’ at her South Tampa home, Bondi's office asked that it be postponed. The new date is Oct. 1. […] On Monday, Bondi responded to questions with a statement saying she had made a mistake. ‘As a prosecutor, there was nothing more important than seeing justice done, especially when it came to the unconscionable act of murder. I personally put two people on death row and, as Attorney General, have already participated in eight executions since I took office, a role I take very seriously,’ Bondi said. ‘The planned execution of Marshall Lee Gore had already been stayed twice by the courts, and we absolutely should not have requested that the date of the execution be moved,’ said Bondi, who has long championed victims' rights." [Tampa Bay Times, 10/22/14]
2018: While Florida Attorney General, Bondi Co-Hosted Fox News’ The Five For Three Days. According to the Miami Herald, "Pam Bondi is still the attorney general of Florida, at least for another four months. But last week Bondi had a different job: co-host of Fox News’ The Five. She subbed on the news talk show not once, not twice, but three times, appearing as a panelist Wednesday through Friday." [Miami Herald, 8/27/18]
Bondi Sought Guidance From The Florida Commission On Ethics To Appear On The Five Due To The Situation Being Unprecedented. According to the Miami Herald, "The situation was so unprecedented for a sitting elected official that Bondi first sought guidance from the Florida Commission on Ethics, the government body that oversees conduct of public officials. Tallahassee lawyer Richard Coates ‘spoke to the Commission on behalf of the Attorney General’ prior to appearing on the show, her spokeswoman Kylie Mason said." [Miami Herald, 8/27/18]
Bondi Did Not Discuss Her Work As Florida Attorney General While Co-Hosting. According to the Miami Herald, "And what did Florida’s top legal officer discuss during her cable tryout? Not the state’s renewed fight over stand your ground or a private beach law that has everyone confused (neither of which she has weighed in on). Nor the ongoing opioid crisis, for which she is spearheading a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies. Instead, Bondi opined on topics ranging from the Robert Mueller investigation and the murder of an Iowa jogger to new animal cracker boxes, whether kids should walk the dog alone and colleges that ban snowball fights." [Miami Herald, 8/27/18]
Bondi Supported Florida’s 2010 Lawsuit And Texas’ 2017 Lawsuit To Repeal The Affordable Care Act. According to the Tampa Bay Times, "Bondi was a little-known prosecutor from Hillsborough County who had grown her profile with regular appearances on Fox News. She made it clear that she fully supported a lawsuit filed by Florida's then-Republican Attorney General Bill McCollum that challenged the Affordable Care Act. ‘People don't want it and we can't afford it,’ Bondi said about the health care law said on the campaign trail. […] After Congress repealed that tax penalty in 2017, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed another challenge to the law in February. Its argument: Without that tax penalty, the constitutional rationale that justified the upholding of the law in 2012 no longer existed. President Donald Trump's administration refused to defend the law. Bondi, who faced no reelection battle, signed on to Paxton's lawsuit." [Tampa Bay Times, 12/15/18]
2012: Bondi Led A 26-State Legal Fight Against The Affordable Care Act’s Individual Mandate. According to the Tampa Bay Times, "Florida was the first state to challenge the health care law's ‘individual mandate,’ with Georgia and 24 other states following suit. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld most of the law, although it did rule that states cannot be forced to expand Medicaid. Bondi became a face of the legal challenge, and as a result, a top surrogate for Mitt Romney, who has promised to repeal the president's signature policy achievement." [Tampa Bay Times, 8/30/12]
Bondi Claimed The Affordable Care Act Created “Higher Premiums, Fewer Jobs, Less Freedom.” According to a post on Pam Bondi’s Twitter account, "Today marks the 3rd birthday of Obamacare. Consider higher premiums, fewer jobs, less freedom. Worst yet to come. We can do better." [Twitter, Pam Bondi, 3/23/13]
[VIDEO] Bondi: “I Would Be Proud To Continue The Lawsuit” To Overturn the Affordable Care Act. In an interview on ABC Action news, Pam Bondi said, “INTERVIEWER: We wanted to know if you're elected Attorney General would you continue this effort to overturn these reforms and why? BONDI: Absolutely, and 19 other states have joined in with Florida, we're taking the lead on this health care litigation. In fact I attended the oral arguments in Pensacola so I got to hear the Attorneys General from all 20 states and the Department of Justice argue to dismiss the motion. And yes I would wholeheartedly continue it. I believe we need tremendous health care reform in our country but this is not the way to do it. It would cost our state in excess of a billion dollars and of course we have to have a balanced budget that would be unsustainable. The Department of Justice's response to that was well then drop out of Medicaid which of course we're not going to do as a state. So I believe it's unconstitutional, I believe believe it violates our 10th Amendment rights, and I would be proud to continue the lawsuit on behalf of the State of Florida. [ABC Action News, 2010]
2014: Bondi Attempted To Block The Legalization Of Same-Sex Marriage In Florida. According to the Tampa Bay Times, "Less than two weeks after a federal court refused to temporarily block gay marriages from taking place, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intercede. The move comes as state officials appeal a ruling that overturned Florida's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, positioning Florida to become the 36th state to allow gay couples to marry. […] In her filing, Bondi asked the Supreme Court to prevent marriages from taking place while Florida continues its fight to protect its ban on gay marriage. Voters inserted the prohibition into the state constitution in 2008." [Tampa Bay Times, 12/16/14]
2010: Bondi Said She Would “Vigorously Defend Florida’s Law Banning Gay Adoption.” According to PolitiFact, "Going straight to the source, we asked Bondi her position on the issue and she responded with an e-mail stating: ‘As Florida’s next attorney general, I will vigorously defend Florida’s law banning gay adoption in our state. As a veteran prosecutor who has spent her entire career upholding the laws of this state, I have the training and experience necessary to successfully defend our laws in a courtroom.’" [PolitiFact, 8/17/10]
2016 Bondi Urged The Florida Supreme Court To Reject A Case Aimed At Repealing Florida’s 24-Hour Waiting Period Before An Abortion. According to CBS News, "Attorney General Pam Bondi's office has urged the Florida Supreme Court to turn down an appeal in a legal battle over a 2015 law that requires women to wait 24 hours before having abortions. […] But in a brief filed Monday, Bondi's office argued the Supreme Court should not take up the case. The brief said the appeals court ruled that a circuit judge did not show adequate ‘factual findings’ to impose the injunction." [CBS News, 4/6/16]
2024: Bondi Criticized Abortions After 15-Weeks And Claimed “The Mother Knows She’s Pregnant And The Baby Can Feel Pain.” According to an interview Pam Bondi gave on The Bottom Line with Dagen and Duffy, "HOST: There are at 25 states and D.C. where a woman can go and kill a baby, uh, when the the the pregnancy is at viability. And that is extreme and foul and disgusting and it’s how the Republicans should be framing it and pushing back on these Democrats. BONDI: Yeah, and Dagen it’s these late term abortions even after 15 weeks, the mother knows she’s pregnant and the baby can feel pain." [Fox Business, Bottom Line with Dagen and Duffy, 4/23/24] (video) 00:04:07-00:04:40
2016: Bondi Defended Florida’s Law To Prevent State Entities From Contracting With Abortion Clinic-Affiliated Organizations. According to CBS News, "State Attorney General Pam Bondi's office has asked a federal judge to reject Planned Parenthood's attempt to block parts of a controversial new abortion law, saying the organization offers ‘nothing to establish that the challenged legislation would negatively affect women seeking abortions.’ […] The complaint, in part, targets a section of the law that seeks to prevent state agencies, local governments and Medicaid managed-care plans from contracting with organizations that own, operate or are affiliated with clinics that perform elective abortions. While government agencies are already barred from funding elective abortions, Planned Parenthood argues that the new law would prevent clinics from receiving money to provide other health services for women, such as pap smears, pregnancy testing and screening for sexually transmitted diseases." [CBS News, 6/21/16]
[VIDEO] Bondi Supported A Forced Ultrasound Law. In an interview on ABC Action news, Pam Bondi said, “INTERVIEWER: Another family issue, Charlie Crist recently vetoed a law known as the ultrasound bill that would require women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound, they don't have to look at the pictures, but they at least have to have that procedure done and we wanted to know, your opponents still say it is too intrusive and would you have supported that? BONDI: I would have. Of course I'm not a lawmaker, but I would have. I have a six-year-old Down Syndrome niece who is the love of my life, she's God's greatest gift to our family, and I would have supported that. And you're right, there was a lot of misconception. Women would not be required to view it but they would be required to have an ultrasound. Right now 82% of doctors performing abortions say that they already perform an ultrasound so what this would do would be to give women an option to view it before making probably the most important decision in their lives. So yes, I would have supported that. [ABC Action News, 2010]
2014: Bondi Joined Texas To Sue The Obama Administration Over Executive Orders Protecting Childhood Arrivals And Parents Of Americans And Lawful Permanent Residents From Deportation. According to the Miami Herald, "Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced late Friday that the Sunshine State would join a federal lawsuit to block President Barack Obama’s executive action sparing as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation. […] In this case, Obama said those eligible are unlawful immigrants who have been in the country for five years, have not committed serious crimes and who were the parents of U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. Obama also expanded a 2012 law called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, that allows young people brought to this country illegally by their parents to stay in the United States and get work permits." [Miami Herald, 12/6/14]
Bondi On Trump’s 2017 Travel Ban: “I Absolutely Think It’s Constitutional.” According to Politico, "Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday she ‘absolutely’ thinks President Donald Trump’s controversial temporary immigration ban is constitutional. Trump signed an executive order blocking non-citizens from entering the United States, and singling out those from the predominantly Muslim countries of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia. The order has been blocked by a Seattle-based U.S. District Court Judge, which has prompted scorn from Trump and his supporters, including Bondi. ‘I absolutely think it’s constitutional,’ Bondi said echoing the Trump administration. ‘It’s not about religion, it’s about the safety of our country.’" [Politico, 2/7/17]
[VIDEO] Bondi Supported Arizona's SB 1070. In an interview Pam Bondi said, “I read the Arizona law, before our United States Attorney General even read it, and I believe it is constitutional and protects against pretext stops.” [Pam Bondi, 8/02/10]
[VIDEO] Bondi Said She Supported A Version Of SB 1070 In Florida. In an interview Pam Bondi said, "As Attorney General I'm not I would not be a lawmaker I will be a member of the executive branch. I know we have two legislators who are working on proposing a similar law here. What I would want to do as Attorney General is work hand in hand with them and be sure that it does protect against pretext stops because we are made up of a country of great immigrants but we have to protect our borders, we have to protect our state and the federal government isn't doing it. So what I would want to do is work with the lawmakers to ensure that this is good law and educate our law enforcement officers and prosecutors on how to apply the law because once again the federal government isn't doing their job, they promise border control, they haven't given it to us, and as a state we have to protect our own state. Arizona has to protect Arizona as well." [Pam Bondi, 8/02/10]
2019-2020: Bondi Was One Of Trump’s Lawyers During His First Impeachment Trial. According to the Associated Press, "Bondi has been an outspoken defender of Trump. She was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial, when he was accused — but not convicted — of abusing his power as he tried to condition U.S. military assistance to Ukraine on that country investigating then-former Vice President Joe Biden." [Associated Press, 11/22/24]
2020: Bondi Helped Organize The Four Seasons Total Landscaping Press Conference In Philadelphia. According to the Washington Post, "Two days later, the Trump campaign found a much quieter — but very unusual — location for a news conference that marked one of the most memorable moments of the chaotic post-2020 election period. The gathering was scheduled for a North Philadelphia industrial park, outside a business called Four Seasons Total Landscaping. Trump’s initial social media posting incorrectly implied it was at the Four Seasons Hotel, leading the tony hotel to issue a clarification. Bondi did not address the media scrum but was spotted before the event by Mark Stone of the British television channel Sky News, who reported that she and Lewandowski ‘appeared to be helping other staff to rearrange the company’s landscaping equipment to make way for a podium.’ In view of a crematorium and an adult entertainment shop, Giuliani continued to assert that Trump had won the election — even after the news broke that major networks had declared Biden the winner. Cheung, the Trump spokesman, did not dispute that Bondi visited the site that day but noted that Bondi ‘did not participate in this press conference.’" [Washington Post, 12/16/24]
Bondi Was Described By A Former White House Aide As Part Of “The First Wave Of The Big Lie.” According to the Washington Post, "Bondi pulled back on her public appearances related to the election after the Four Seasons news conference. Former White House aide Alyssa Farah later described Bondi to the Jan. 6 committee as part of what she called ‘the first wave of the Big Lie.’ ‘There was this semi-coordinated effort that was, like, reasonably sophisticated … actually challenging results,’ Farah said in testimony to the committee. ‘But then obviously, one by one, those court cases fell down, and a lot of those surrogates just disappeared. Like Pam Bondi was out there early on, and then she was gone.’" [Washington Post, 12/16/24]
Bondi Claimed Prosecutors Who Charged Trump Were “Horrible” People And Were “Weaponizing Our Legal System.” According to Newsweek, "[Bondi] was also among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his New York hush money criminal trial that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. In one recent radio appearance, she called Special Counsel Jack Smith and other prosecutors who have charged Trump ‘horrible’ people, and accused them of ‘weaponizing our legal system.’" [Newsweek, 11/22/24]
2024: Bondi Appeared In New York In Support Of Trump During His Hush Money Trial. According to the Associated Press, "Bondi has been an outspoken defender of Trump. She was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial, when he was accused — but not convicted — of abusing his power as he tried to condition U.S. military assistance to Ukraine on that country investigating then-former Vice President Joe Biden. And she was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his New York hush money criminal trial that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts." [Associated Press, 11/22/24]
Trump Claimed The Justice Department Was “Weaponized” Against Him And Bondi Would “Refocus” The Department’s Purpose. According to the Associated Press, "‘For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans - Not anymore,’ Trump said in a social media post. ‘Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.’" [Associated Press, 11/22/24]
Bondi’s Former Employee Said Bondi Was “Very Loyal” To Trump. According to the New York Times, "Dave Aronberg, the Democratic state attorney in Palm Beach County, who previously worked under Ms. Bondi for two years as her drug czar in the attorney general’s office, said that while their politics differ, he felt relieved that Mr. Trump had picked her. ‘She is very loyal to him,’ he said. ‘I don’t believe, however, that she would intentionally violate the law to carry out any policy.’ […] Mr. Trump’s critics, however, are worried that her record of fealty to Mr. Trump — she worked on the defense team for his impeachment trial and supported his claims of election fraud in 2020 — signals that the Justice Department’s independence would be compromised." [New York Times, 12/5/24]
At The 2016 RNC, Bondi Acknowledged The Crowd Chanting “Lock Her Up” During Her Speech About Hillary Clinton And Said “Lock Her Up? I Love That.” According to Florida Politics, "Shortly into her six-minute-plus speech, Bondi then segued to perhaps the major theme of the first three nights of the RNC — bashing presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. ‘She deserves no security clearance. How do you become president of the United States with no security clearance?’ Bondi asked. Republicans have promulgated the notion Clinton would have a difficult time getting a security clearance after FBI Director James Comey said she was careless in her handling of national security documents. The Justice Department recently concluded their investigation into the former secretary of state’s handling of classified documents, which ended with Comey chastising her in a press conference, without filing any charges against her. ‘This lawlessness must stop. Right here. Right now,’ Bondi said, before acknowledging a chant amongst some of the delegates that has become a mantra at the Cleveland RNC. ‘Lock her up? I love that,’ she said, repeating the chant that erupted during Chris Christie‘s speech Tuesday night at the convention." [Florida Politics, 7/20/16]
11/7/18: CBS News Reported Bondi Was A Possible Contender To Permanently Replace U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. According to CBS News, "Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is a possible contender to permanently replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions, sources familiar with the matter tell CBS News. President Trump forced Sessions out as the nation's chief law enforcement officer on Wednesday, one day after Democrats captured the House in the midterm elections." [CBS News, 11/7/18]
2013: Bondi Challenged An Amendment To Legalize Medical Marijuana In Florida. According to WPBF, "Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is challenging a proposal to allow the use of medical marijuana in the state. Bondi criticized the proposed amendment in a filing she made Thursday to the Florida Supreme Court. By law, the attorney general asks the court to review proposed amendments. The Supreme Court could throw out the amendment if it agrees with Bondi. Bondi called the amendment misleading. The Republican told the court that, if passed by voters, the measure would allow marijuana use in limitless situations." [WPBF, 10/24/13]
2015: Despite Still Opposing Legalizing Medical Marijuana, Bondi Said She Would Not Challenge The 2016 Amendment. According to the Tampa Bay Times, "Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who loudly opposed a medical marijuana measure that appeared on the 2014 ballot, is staying on the sidelines this time around. Bondi said she still opposes the effort to legalize medical marijuana, but the state's top legal officer is remaining silent on whether the Florida Supreme Court should block the latest version of the ballot initiative. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing the proposed amendment ahead of next year's elections. […] ‘Based on the Court's decision in 2014, I have not filed a legal challenge to the current amendment, but my concerns with it are the same,’ Bondi said." [Tampa Bay Times, 11/9/15]
2018: Bondi Filed A Motion Supporting A Ban On Smokable Medical Marijuana. According to WFTV, "Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi filed a motion Friday supporting the Florida Legislature’s ban on smokable medical marijuana. ‘Notably, during discussion over the exclusion of smokable marijuana from medical use, legislators highlighted concerns about smoking as a form of medical treatment. Specifically, such concerns centered on the negative health effects of smoking,’ wrote Bondi in her brief. On Friday, Bondi’s office filed the brief with the 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee. The state is challenging a ruling from Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers. In May, Judge Gievers ruled that the smoking ban, passed by the Legislature in 2017, violated the 2016 constitutional amendment that passed with 71% of the vote." [WFTV, 8/6/18]
2020: Bondi Claimed Kyle Rittenhouse Was “A Little Boy Out There Trying To Protect His Community” And Questioned His Murder Charges. According to USA Today, "Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general and a prominent surrogate for President Donald Trump's campaign, on Tuesday defended Kyle Rittenhouse – the 17-year-old charged in the shooting deaths of two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin – as ‘a little boy out there trying to protect his community.’ […] ‘There were bullets flying everywhere. Other people were firing, This kid was trying to help people. Were there people killed? Absolutely,’ said Bondi, who has been active within the Trump campaign and spoke at the Republican National Convention last month. ‘You've got a little boy out there trying to protect his community,’ she said. ‘Should he have been out there with a gun? No. But should he have been charged with murder? We just don't know yet.’" [USA Today, 9/23/20]
In 2006, Bondi adopted a dog that was wrongfully put up for adoption by the Pinellas Humane Society. The dog was owned by Hurricane Katrina victims who did not intend to forfeit their dog during the hurricane and were attempting to get him back. After locating their dog and asking Bondi and the Humane Society to return him, Bondi initially refused and claimed she legally adopted him. The legal dispute lasted 16 months with Bondi eventually returning the dog.
2006: Bondi Adopted And Refused To Return A Dog That Was Separated From Its Family During Hurricane Katrina. According to the St. Petersburg Times, "In September, Tampa resident Pam Bondi was watching the local news and saw a St. Bernard had been rescued from New Orleans and needed a new home. Just weeks earlier, Bondi had lost her own beloved St. Bernard, Donovan, to cancer. Bondi made her way to Clearwater's Pinellas Humane Society and left with the St. Bernard from New Orleans. She fostered him for 30 days and then adopted him in October. But at around the same time, the Coutures say, they tracked their dogs to Pinellas County. Bondi had adopted Master Tank, the St. Bernard, and a family in Dunedin had Nila, a shepherd mix. The Coutures want their dogs back. But getting them has not been easy. The Pinellas Humane Society adopted the dogs out after waiting 30 days, one of its requirements for adoption. The Coutures say Katrina's destruction made it difficult to find the dogs, and when they did, no one at the Pinellas Humane Society would return their calls. Now, they have sought the help of Gulf Coast Legal Services in St. Petersburg. On May 9, the agency sent a letter to the Pinellas Humane Society asking that the dogs be returned. The letter asked for a response within 10 days, after which all legal means would be exhausted to get the dogs back. ‘I never abandoned my dogs,’ said Steven Couture. […] Bondi, who named the St. Bernard Noah, is at a loss. She has become attached to a dog that she legally adopted and has nursed back to health. ‘I made a promise to him that I would protect him,’ Bondi said. […] Bondi said the dog had patches of hair missing, a scratch on his face and an eye infection. She says she has spent a few thousand dollars trying to fix the heartworm problem. ‘If I thought I was sending him to a stable environment, where he would be cared for, as hard as it would be, I'd put him in my car and drive him back myself,’ Bondi said.” [St. Petersburg Times, 5/22/06]
Bondi Returned The Dog After A 16-Month Legal Dispute.
According to Politico, "Bondi was involved in a custody battle with Hurricane Katrina victims over a St. Bernard she adopted in 2005 after the dog was separated from his family during the storm. The family had been trying to find the dog and Bondi refused to return him. She accused the family of neglecting the animal, an allegation they denied. The family sued, and the dispute lasted 16 months until the two sides settled before trial. Bondi returned the dog to the family with food and medication." [Politico, 11/21/24]