No one understands the modern news cycle better than President-elect Donald Trump. 

His lightning-quick pivot from the failed attorney general nomination of Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to Florida attorney general Pam Bondi, giving his critics scarcely any time to gloat, is the latest example of his media mastery. 

That’s not to say his pick of Gaetz wasn’t a blunder — it was. (That is, unless it was all a clever scheme to extricate the rebel Gaetz from the House, as some have theorized.)  Gaetz was never a plausible attorney general, possessing neither a distinguished legal mind nor the principled background any good AG needs to curb a president’s imprudent uses of the law.

More worrisome was that Gaetz had spoken openly about seeking vengeance against his political rivals, which is precisely what the Justice Department doesn’t need right now.

The de-politicization of the DOJ, not its reverse politicization, should be the order of the day. Political retribution will not restore our federal justice system to its proper place as the envy of the free world. It would only further degrade its gravely damaged credibility and further weaken our democracy. Gaetz as AG would have made the problem worse.  

Of course, Trump and his allies have every reason to feel aggrieved against those who have waged an unjust campaign of coordinated lawfare against them. Pro-life Americans and traditional Catholics, too, rightly feel their rights have been trampled on through the weaponized FACE Act and the FBI’s spy operation against traditional Catholics. But our system of government cannot survive, let alone be made great again, if we can’t trust our justice system.

Moreover, the accusations that surfaced against Gaetz, who has denied wrongdoing, are troubling. While he is entitled to due process, it would have been reckless to appoint a man to run the Justice Department who is facing down such charges. The stench of scandal and corruption would have followed him into the Justice Department, making it needlessly difficult to implement necessary reforms and restore faith in the institution. 

Bondi, on the other hand, has a long and distinguished track record in law enforcement, having served 20 years as a prosecutor and eight as Florida’s attorney general.  She also has deep experience combating the opioid crisis, one of the most vexing criminal justice issues of our day. During Trump’s first term, she served on his Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission, co-authoring a report on the opioid crisis that issued recommendations on how to handle fentanyl. And in 2018, she sued drugmakers, including CVS and Walgreens, for misrepresenting their products to the public, which the suit alleged caused addiction to painkillers. 

The first female attorney general in Florida’s history, Bondi also boasts a strong pro-life record. "It's very personal to me because I have a Down syndrome niece, and Emma is 18 and the love of our lives,” she told EWTN during a 2022 pro-life event in Florida. “And I can't imagine what other people would have done, but for my sister. And she is the true love of our lives. So we're a very, very pro-life family and always will be."

But while Bondi’s professional record and pro-life bona fides bode well, her closeness to the MAGA movement, having endorsed Trump for president over fellow Floridian Sen. Marco Rubio in 2016, gives reason for pause. 

After serving on the Opioid Commission, Bondi joined Trump's legal defense team during his first impeachment trial and became a vocal critic of President Biden. 

Bondi, a close friend of Lara Trump, the president-elect’s daughter-in-law, has since remained in Trump’s orbit. She joined the America First Policy Institute, a think-tank made up of various MAGA figures, and she helped draft an amicus brief in the classified documents case against the president-elect. 

Does she have the fortitude to tell Trump no if she needs to?

 These questions will doubtless be asked and answered during the nominating process. But until they are, it’s difficult to share Sen. Lindsey Graham’s assessment of the selection as being a “grand slam, touchdown, hole in one, ace, hat trick, slam dunk, Olympic gold medal pick.”

Most importantly, however, is that the desire for political retribution inherent in the Gaetz pick is on the back burner — for now.