President-elect Donald Trump has named longtime ally and veteran prosecutor Pam Bondi as his new pick for Attorney General , hours after Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration.
Bondi has a long history in law enforcement and previously served as Florida's attorney general.
A staunch Trump ally, she was part of Trump's legal team during his first Senate impeachment trial and also publicly supported him by appearing in court during his hush money trial in New York.
"Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years where she was very tough on violent criminals and made the streets safe for Florida families," Trump said in a social media post announcing his selection.
If confirmed by the Senate, Bond will become the country's top law enforcement officer, in charge of the justice department's more than 115,000 employees and budget of around $45bn (£35.7bn).
"For too long, the partisan Justice Department has been up in arms against me and other Republicans — not anymore," Trump tweeted Thursday evening.
"Pam will refocus the DOJ [Department of Justice] on its intended purpose of fighting crime and making America safe again."
Trump's plans for the department include ending "armed government", protecting US borders, dismantling criminal organizations and restoring Americans' "badly damaged trust and confidence" in the department./BBC