Report: Trump AG Pick Bondi Frequently Sold Out Her Former Office to Big Corporate Donors at Public’s Expense

Government watchdog Accountable.US released a new analysis today detailing lobbyist turned President-elect Trump’s nominee for U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s record of selling out her office to corporate special interests that donated millions of dollars to the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) in exchange for dropped lawsuits, amicus briefs, and firings. Accountable.US’ review, first reported by Salon, examined Bondi’s record as Florida Attorney General from 2011-2019 and identified numerous financial conflicts of interest involving corporate interests that bankrolled RAGA, which in turn funneled donations to her re-election campaign and allowed her to expense tens of thousands annually on travel and dinners.

Corporate donations were often followed by political favors, which helped avoid costly and damaging lawsuits or challenges to federal regulations that threatened profits. These potential conflicts of interest add to Accountable.US’ recent findings that at least five of Bondi’s major lobbying clients have had run-ins with the U.S. Justice Department she now hopes to lead.

“As Florida Attorney General, Pam Bondi frequently played favorites with big corporate donors and political insiders at the expense of everyday consumers, patients, and the public good,” said Accountable.US Executive Director Tony Carrk. “Nothing indicates Bondi would change her office-peddling modus operandi as America’s top justice official, which would be part and parcel with President-elect Trump’s agenda of further rigging the system in favor of wealthy corporate interests.”

Among instances, Bondi did the bidding of corporate donors as former Florida AG:

• Dropping a tax fraud lawsuit against Expedia and several other online travel agencies after Expedia contributed $192,530 to RAGA;
• Firing two attorneys and dropping the housing foreclosure fraud lawsuits they were leading against predatory banks after one defendant, Lender Processing Services, contributed $31,972 to RAGA;
• Opting not to pursue lawsuits against shady companies––hospital debt collector Accretive Health and for-profit online college Bridgepoint Education––at the behest of their lobbyists after RAGA received tens of thousands of dollars from the companies;
• Filing amicus briefs in Shew v. Melloy (2014), a lawsuit seeking to overturn a Connecticut semi-automatic weapons ban, and NRA v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (2014), an attempt to lower the federal age of eligibility to purchase handguns from 21 to 18, after RAGA had taken $133,853 in contributions from the NRA;
• Filing amicus briefs in multiple lawsuits that attempted to reduce the EPA’s regulatory authority under the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, following more than $1.26 million in contributions to RAGA from fossil fuel interests.

This kind of office peddling has defined Bondi’s career as someone who repeatedly faced allegations of putting political and financial interests above her duty to uphold justice. Perhaps the most infamous example was her refusal to join a multi-state lawsuit against the fraudulent Trump University after receiving a $25,000 donation from Trump’s foundation – an incident that was even more problematic than originally thought.

A supplemental analysis from Accountable.US of Bondi’s campaign finances and the Trump family’s political spending identified even more payments beyond the controversial contribution to Bondi’s PAC. It revealed a pattern in which the Trump family’s contributions in Florida spiked significantly around the time of the Trump University investigations and have plummeted in the years since. Notably:

• In addition to the $25,000 payment to Bondi’s And Justice For All PAC, Donald Trump also gave $100,000 to the Florida Republican Party – Bondi’s largest donor – in 2013. Trump also made a $500 donation to Bondi’s campaign committee in 2013.
• Ivanka Trump also made a $500 donation to Bondi’s campaign in 2013 and gave $25,000 to the Florida Republican Party in 2014. According to Florida campaign finance records, these are the only donations Ivanka has ever made to state committees or candidates in Florida. No member of the Trump family donated to Bondi’s 2010 campaign.
• Trump also held a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago for Bondi soon after she decided not to pursue the case.
• Donald Trump himself never made a donation in Florida again after the 2013-14 cycle. All told, we found the vast majority — more than 75% — of the Trump family’s total donations in Florida came during the brief 2013-2014 window when Trump University was under investigation in other states and Pam Bondi and Rick Scott were up for election.

“The pattern of Trump family political spending in Florida around the time the fraudulent Trump University faced multi-state legal trouble raises further evidence that Pam Bondi was targeted with a bribe in the form of major political donations,” said Carrk. “Consistent with her own pattern of selling out her office to wealthy corporate special interests, Bondi did exactly what Donald Trump expected of her by not fighting on behalf of Floridians scammed by the future president. Bondi makes no apologies for her history of cronyism and favoritism toward powerful insiders at the expense of everyday families– and the American people can expect more of the same should she be confirmed as U.S. Attorney General.”