The Republican-controlled U.S. Senate confirmed Pam Bondi as the new U.S. Attorney General on Tuesday, appointing one of President Donald Trump's most loyal political allies to the top post in the U.S. law enforcement system - head of the U.S. Department of Justice, UNN reports citing Voice of America.
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The vote was 54-46 in favor of Bondi, a former Florida attorney general. This decision is said to help Trump strengthen his control over the US Department of Justice, which recently underwent a large-scale staff reduction that affected prosecutors and FBI agents involved in the investigation of the January 6, 2021, riots in the Capitol.
Democratic Senator John Fetterman joined 53 Republicans in voting to confirm Bondi.
During a Senate hearing last month, Bondi, 59, pledged to preserve the independence of the Justice Department and said she would not interfere with politics in criminal or civil investigations.
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After taking office on January 20, Trump signed an executive order condemning the so-called use of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies for political purposes. He instructed the Attorney General to conduct a "review of all departments and agencies with civil or criminal prosecution authority.
Bondi, who has years of experience as a prosecutor, previously represented Trump during his first impeachment. She also supported his claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
The first candidate for Attorney General, former Congressman Matt Gaetz, withdrew from the race because of an investigation opened against him by the House Ethics Committee.
For now, Geithner remains the only Trump cabinet nominee who has withdrawn. On Tuesday, Senate committees approved two more nominees for positions in the new administration - Robert Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence.
