Trump taps loyalist Pam Bondi for attorney general after Gaetz withdraws

US President-elect Donald Trump tapped Pam Bondi, a staunch ally who helped defend the ex-leader against impeachment, as US attorney general on Thursday following firebrand Matt Gaetz's withdrawal from the running.

Gaetz's retreat amid sexual misconduct allegations signaled limits to Trump's power, even as the president-elect prepares to retake the White House with his Republican Party also in control of both chambers of Congress.

The nomination of Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who served as a surrogate during the 2024 campaign and pushed to de-legitimize vote counting in swing state Pennsylvania in 2020, could be seen as a useful tool for Trump in his attempt to settle personal grievances.

"For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans -- Not anymore," Trump wrote on his Truth Social network in announcing Bondi's nomination.

Bondi, 59, was a member of Trump's legal team during his first Senate impeachment trial, in which he was alleged to have pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, using aid as leverage, to hand over political dirt on Biden.

"Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again," Trump wrote, adding that she is "smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter."

Trump has made several eye-catching selections for top roles, including Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary and billionaire Elon Musk to head a government cost-cutting unit.

The exit of Gaetz, 42, was the first setback for Trump and Vice-president elect JD Vance in placing key allies in top positions, but his confirmation by the Senate was widely seen as doomed due to lack of support from fellow Republicans.

A congressional panel has been investigating alleged illegal activity by Gaetz, including sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl -- which he denies -- as well as drug use and misappropriating campaign funds.

"I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday," Gaetz said on X.

"While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition."

Gaetz was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016 and won reelection recently, but he resigned as a congressman shortly after Trump picked him to be attorney general.

"Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do," Trump said in response to his withdrawal.

The ethics probe into Gaetz, a deeply polarizing Florida congressman, was effectively ended after he resigned from the House.

Gaetz is known as a political disruptor who earned the enmity of some House colleagues, including by engineering the ouster of fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy as speaker last year.

The latest transition upheaval ahead of Trump's inauguration on January 20 came as new lurid details emerged about defense secretary nominee Hegseth.

He was investigated for sexual assault after a complaint from an unnamed woman at a 2017 conference in California.

The New York Times reported details from the police investigation, which was closed without Hegseth being charged.

The married woman told officers that her memory of the episode was hazy and thought her drink might have been spiked, while Hegseth said the encounter was consensual.