Who is Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi? Her ties with Scientology and her past as a foreign agent for Qatar, explained

Donald Trump has named Pam Bondi as his pick for attorney general after Matt Gaetz bowed out amid allegations of illicit drug usage, accepting bribes, and sexual misconduct, including child sex trafficking and statutory rape. Bondi, to her credit, is a better choice than Gaetz, but is she a good choice for the American people? 

Unlike some of Trump’s cabinet choices, Bondi does have experience that, at least on paper, prepares her for the role of Attorney General. She was the first woman to serve as Florida attorney general, a position she held from 2011 to 2019, and before that, she served as a prosecutor and spokesperson in Florida’s Hillsborough County. 

Her career, however, has not been without controversy. Bondi has received criticism for her professional ties to Scientology as well as her work as a registered foreign agent in Qatar. She has also been accused of unlawfully accepting a $25,000 campaign donation from Trump in 2013 shortly before declining to join a lawsuit against Trump University. 

Pam Bondi’s connection to Scientology

Bondi has been criticized for her ties to the controversial Church of Scientology several times throughout her career. While serving as Florida’s attorney general, she attended and spoke at several fundraisers organized by groups and members associated with the church. The Tampa Bay Times has reported Bondi spoke at a 2016 event sponsored by Florida Citizens for Social Reform, a group it alleges was created by Scientologists in 2004 (cofounder Steve Sigal denied the group was political or affiliated with the Church of Scientology, though admitted the church allows the group to use a property in Fort Harrison for events). 

The same publication revealed she first connected with the group in 2010 after touring the church’s facilities in Clearwater, Florida and six prominent members of the church held a fundraiser on Bondi’s behalf during her re-election campaign in 2014. Both Bondi and her then-campaign spokesperson Christina Johnson defended her choice to associate with the Church of Scientology. Johnson told the Tampa Bay Times that Bondi and the group shared “the same goals: Protecting children against drug overdoses and human trafficking.”

The Church of Scientology has been the subject of controversy since its establishment by author L. Ron Hubbard in 1952. Allegations of widespread abuse and exploitation of its members have followed the church for decades. Former members, like actress Leah Remini, have accused the church of mistreating both members and ex-members alike (Remini filed a lawsuit against the church in 2023). Fresh allegations have surfaced in recent years, including from jurors in the highly-publicized Danny Masterson trial, who claimed they were harassed by the Scientologist’s legal team. 

Pam Bondi’s work in Qatar 

After her tenure as Florida attorney general ended, Bondi joined the lobbying firm Ballard Partners (Trump named Susie Wiles, a lobbyist who ran Ballard Partners for over a decade, as his chief of staff earlier this month). While working for the firm, Bondi registered as a foreign agent for the government of Qatar, according to AP. Her lobbying work with the country was related to fighting human trafficking before Qatar held the FIFA World Cup in 2022. She had also lobbied for a firm based in Kuwait, according to Justice Department foreign agent filings.

The Foreign Agents Registration Act requires foreign agents to register with the DOJ and disclose their activities, financial history, and relationship with foreign entities. You can read the DOJ definition of a foreign agent here, but basically, a foreign agent is a person employed by or representing a foreign country who engages in lobbying or advocacy within the U.S.

FIFA’s decision to hold the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was met with scrutiny thanks to the country’s poor human rights record. The country has been criticized for its mistreatment of migrant workers and discrimination against LGBTQ people and women by human rights groups like Amnesty International. Qatar has made some efforts to improve conditions for migrant workers, like a 2020 law allowing workers to leave the country without their employer’s permission, but many argue these reforms aren’t enough to address the country’s glaring worker’s rights problems. 

During her time working on behalf of the Qatari government, Bondi was temporarily hired by the Trump administration to help with Trump’s first impeachment proceedings. It’s unclear whether Bondi was allowed to operate as a foreign lobbyist while employed by the White House — Newsweek reports she left her position in Qatar to work for Trump while MSNBC writes she was still lobbying but would be “winding down” that role. Bondi is no longer registered as a foreign agent but is still registered as a lobbyist for domestic law-enforcement clients, as per The New York Times. 

Bondi’s ties to the Trump administration

Bondi has been a long-time supporter of Trump and endorsed him for president at the 2016 Florida Republican presidential primary. Bondi soon faced renewed criticism for accepting a donation made by the Trump Foundation. In 2013, Bondi had publicly announced her office was deciding whether to join a New York lawsuit against Trump University after receiving multiple fraud complaints against the company. Trump then donated $25,000 to Bondi’s re-election PAC, and after accepting the funds, Bondi chose not to join the lawsuit. 

Both Trump and Bondi denied any wrongdoing. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed an IRS report against the Trump Foundation in 2016 and found the foundation had paid a $2,500 fine for the donation. . A Florida prosecutor assigned to the case concluded evidence was insufficient to move forward with a bribery case. 

While certainly a better pick than Gaetz, Trump’s decision to name her Attorney General fits the president-elect’s trend of awarding loyalists with cabinet positions. If confirmed, Bondi’s position as Attorney General will do little to lessen concerns Trump wants to use the Justice Department to investigate political opponents or for his own personal gain. But, hey — at least she isn’t being investigated for sexual assault.