President-Elect Donald Trump has selected conservative activist and lawyer Pam Bondi to serve as U.S. Attorney General. Most recently, Bondi has served as a registered Foreign Agent, working to protect the interests of the government of Qatar, one of the largest global oil producers. Previously, she served as Florida Attorney General, and was notorious for opposing same-sex marriage, fighting to overturn the Affordable Care Act, and supporting President-elect Trump in his efforts to circumvent accountability for fraud. If confirmed, Bondi is likely to continue her record of extreme policies that harm everyday Americans and line the pockets of Trump’s allies in the oil and gas industry.
Fact: Leaders of the dark money network behind the anti-responsible investing movement have endorsed Bondi.
- The Heritage Foundation, one of the most outspoken opponents of responsible investing, promptly endorsed Bondi’s nomination. With a legacy of funding from Big Oil, the Heritage Foundation has repeatedly promoted an extreme anti-climate agenda that promotes fossil fuels while dismantling government agencies responsible for protecting the environment and the financial well-being of Americans.
- Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO), who sponsored legislation in the Senate to “root out” ESG policies, also endorsed Bondi’s nomination. Sen. Schmitt has taken thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Big Oil and repeatedly attacked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s climate risk disclosure rule, which would enhance transparency in the financial system.
Fact: Bondi leveraged her position of power as Florida AG to oppose key environmental protections.
- In 2015, Bondi joined 23 other Republican Attorneys General to challenge the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan, which “sought to address carbon emissions from power plants by transitioning facilities away from coal and toward renewable sources.”
- Bondi has also “challenged EPA rules for power plant startups and shutdowns and limits on pollution that washes into waterways.”
Fact: Bondi was involved in multiple ethics scandals during her time as Florida AG.
- During her 2010 campaign for Florida AG, Bondi took thousands of dollars in campaign cash from a company called Lender Processing Services, which was being investigated by the state for operating a purported “foreclosure mill” that used bad paperwork to foreclose on Floridians’ homes. Just a few months after Bondi took office, two of the leading attorneys on the case were fired and the investigation essentially ended.
- In 2013, Bondi declined to join a New York lawsuit or act on consumer complaints alleging fraud at Donald Trump’s “Trump University” after a $25,000 donation from a Trump entity to a PAC supporting Bondi’s re-election campaign.
