Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) recently criticized President-elect Trump's nomination of former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department, calling her a “massive election denialist.” He called him a “Trump apologist.''
“Pam Bondi has been Florida's attorney general for eight years, so she has the necessary experience. But she carries the weight of having so much opposed the election,” Wasserman Schultz told CNN. told Jake Tapper. In an interview on Friday In “The Lead”.
“This person is clearly a Trump apologist and a Trump stooge. That's what he wants as AG,” she later added.
Her comments come amid intense scrutiny over whether former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), the first person President Trump nominated to the post, should release the House Ethics Committee report to the public. The announcement was made the day after the company withdrew from the His alleged sexual misconduct and illegal drug use.
Despite the criticism, Mr. Shultz suggested that Mr. Bondi would be a better candidate than Mr. Gates to be attorney general.
“But, you know, she did some good things for consumer protection and she did some pretty good cases in Florida to get money back for people who were wronged.” she added. We'll see how the Senate looks at it, but he's much better than Matt Gaetz. ”
Gaetz said Friday that he has no intention of returning to Congress, despite winning re-election earlier this month. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has set a special election for the vacant seat to be held on January 28, 2025.
Republicans gained control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. Asked if Gaetz's resignation would help Democrats, Wasserman Schultz suggested the party still has some leverage.
“For the past two years, the Democratic Party has had a Republican majority, but we couldn't do anything important without Democratic votes,” she told Tapper. “And no matter what the difference, that's probably what will happen in this election, in the next Congress.”
“We have a lot of influence. That's why I keep saying this is not a Republican red wave,” she continued. “Mr. Trump won by a narrow margin, so Democrats will have a lot of say in what legislation is ultimately passed.”
