Senator Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican and a vocal critic of Donald Trump, praised the president-elect's second nomination for U.S. attorney general on Friday.
Romney, the sole Republican senator to vote twice to impeach Trump during his first presidency, congratulated Pam Bondi in a Friday post on X, formerly Twitter, calling her a "highly capable leader" for the Department of Justice (DOJ). "She served with excellence as Florida's Attorney General," the senator said.
The announcement of Bondi, who served as Florida's attorney general from 2011 to 2019, as the next U.S. attorney general came hours after former Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, announced he was withdrawing his name from consideration for the post on Thursday. Both picks are from Florida where Trump now calls home after leaving New York.
Bondi is a longtime Trump ally, having served as one of his defense attorneys during his first impeachment trial. The Senate later acquitted Trump of charges accusing him of soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 election by withholding military aid from Ukraine to pressure the country into investigating Trump's political opponent, President Joe Biden.
The president-elect announced Gaetz to lead the DOJ last week, and since then has drawn scrutiny from Democrats and some Republicans. Up until last Wednesday, Gaetz represented Florida's 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House, but upon his attorney general nomination, he resigned from his position.
Gaetz's nomination raised eyebrows as he was the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation over allegations that he "engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use" and was part of a scheme that led to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl. He has denied any wrongdoing.
On Thursday, Gaetz wrote on X that he had met with senators and "while the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition." Gaetz required Senate confirmation to be put in the post.
Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform, that he appreciated "the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz."
Bondi's relationship with Romney dates back to at least 2012 when she endorsed his presidential campaign. She also spoke at the 2012 Republican National Convention (RNC) in support of him when he was the GOP's presidential nominee. Trump endorsed Romney's 2012 presidential run, but Romney lost to incumbent President Barack Obama.
Newsweek contacted Romney's press team for comment via email on Friday evening. Newsweek has reached out to Bondi for comment through the America First Policy Institute.
Romney has broken with the Republican Party several times, most notably during Trump's impeachments. In October, he told students at the University of Utah, "I've made it very clear that I don't want Donald Trump to be the next President of the United States," according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Romney did not endorse the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Later at the same event, Romney warned of disinformation, both from external parties and from Trump. "He just makes it up, and he is able to spew enough disinformation that the Chinese must be smiling," Romney said in reference to various Trump claims on the campaign trail including the unsubstantiated claim that Haitian migrants were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio.
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