Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) recently criticized President-elect Trump’s pick of former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department, calling her a “massive election denier” and “Trump apologist.”
“Pam Bondi was the attorney general of the state of Florida for eight years, and so she does have the requisite experience. But she comes with the heaviness of having been a massive election denier,” Wasserman Schultz told CNN’s Jake Tapper in a Friday interview on “The Lead.”
“This is someone who is clearly a Trump apologist, a Trump lackey,” she added later. “That’s what he wants as AG.”
Her comments come a day after former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), whom Trump tapped first for the position, withdrew from consideration amid scrutiny — and a battle over whether a House Ethics Committee report should be unveiled to the public — related to his alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.
Despite the critique, Schultz suggested Bondi was a better choice for attorney general than Gaetz.
“But, you know, she did some good things for consumer protection, did some pretty good lawsuits that brought resources back for people who’d been wronged in the state of Florida,” she said, adding, “So, you know, we’ll see how the Senate looks at it, but it’s a heck of a lot better than Matt Gaetz.”
Gaetz said Friday that while he won reelection earlier this month, he did not intend to return to Congress. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) set up a special election for the vacant seat to be held on Jan. 28, 2025.
Republicans won control of both chambers of Congress and the White House for the next term. Asked if Gaetz’ resignation helps Democrats, Wasserman Schultz suggested they still have some leverage.
“Democrats for the last two years with the Republican majority, they couldn’t do anything significant without Democratic votes,” she told Tapper. “And no matter what the margin is, that’s going to be the case likely coming into this election — this next Congress.”
“We have quite a bit of leverage. That’s why I keep saying this was not a Republican red wave,” she continued. “Trump won by one of the smallest margins, and Democrats are going to have a lot of say when it comes to what legislation gets across the finish line.”
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