Who Is Pam Bondi? 6 Things to Know About the U.S. Attorney General

Pam Bondi, the 87th U.S. Attorney General, is from Temple Terrace, Fla.

Born on November 17, 1965, to parents Joseph Bondi and Patsy Bondi, Pam received her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Florida in 1987 and her Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law in 1990.

"I wanted to be a pediatrician," the fourth-generation Floridian said in an interview, per Business Observer Florida. "I knew I wanted to get a law degree, but I wasn't certain I wanted to practice law, but once I interned at the state attorney's office, that's when I knew I wanted to be a prosecutor."

Pam's brother, Bradley Bondi, is also a lawyer. He lost his bid to become the next president of the D.C. Bar in June.

Pam has been married twice: first to Garret Barnes from 1990 to 1992, then to Scott Fitzgerald from 1997 to 2002. She was also previously engaged to Greg Henderson.

In 2017, Pam began dating her partner, John Wakefield. The founder of Varner Wakefield Equity Partners supported the attorney general during her swearing-in ceremony in February.

"I just want to introduce her very, very handsome husband. I hate being around him. He looks too good," President Donald Trump said of Wakefield during his brief address. "He's been a tremendous factor with Pam and just a beautiful relationship."

Pam began her career at the State Attorney's Office in Hillsborough County, Fla., in the 1990s. She worked as a prosecutor for more than 18 years, "trying cases ranging from domestic violence to capital murder," according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

But in 2010, Pam left her position as a prosecutor to enter the race for Florida attorney general.

"I don't see this office as a stepping stone. I don't want to be governor; I don't want to be a congressman or a senator," Pam said before the election. "I only want to be the best attorney general I can be. You can only accomplish a lot in office if you're not looking at the next."

She ultimately won the August 2010 primary, outshining Holly Benson and Jeff Kottkamp.

After facing off against Democratic nominee Dan Gelber, Pam became the first female attorney general in Florida's history. She garnered 56 percent of the vote, while her rival had 44 percent.

"When I announced I was running for office, I thought my biggest detriment would be I had never run for office before ... and folks around the state have truly embraced that," she told The Associated Press.

Pam was reelected in 2014 and continued serving as attorney general of Florida until 2019.

In 2019, Pam joined Donald's legal team during his impeachment trial. She served as Special Advisor to Donald in the Office of White House Counsel and worked closely on the defense legal team throughout the proceedings.

Outside her work with Donald, she took on several other roles, including serving as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Kennedy Center, Chair of the Florida Chapter at the America First Policy Institute, Chair of the Center for Litigation and Co-Chair of the Center for Law and Justice.

Pam was also a partner at Ballard Partners LLC from 2019 to 2025.

Pam became Donald's pick for U.S. attorney general after his original nominee, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from the race. She secured the position after the Senate confirmed her by a 54-46 vote.

"I will restore integrity to the Justice Department and I will fight violent crime throughout this country and throughout this world, and I will make America safe again," she said, expressing how honored she is to lead the Justice Department.