BREAKING: Pam Bondi confirmed as US Attorney General

Cloture was invoked late on Monday evening in a vote of 52-46, which put a time limit on debate, allowing for a simple majority vote in the Senate to confirm Bondi on Tuesday evening. Bondi advanced out of the Judiciary Committee last week after being grilled by senators during confirmation hearings. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to cast his vote for Bondi.

Democrat Dick Durbin (D-IL) questioned Bondi on her ability to be independent from Trump, asking her hypotheticals as to whether or not she would tell Trump “no" if she was asked to do something she believed to be unconstitutional. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) demanded that Bondi answer for FBI Director nominee Kash Patel's alleged "enemies list" during the her confirmation hearing.

When Trump nominated Bondi to lead the Department of Justice, he touted her past legal experience. "Pam was a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, where she was very tough on Violent Criminals, and made the streets safe for Florida Families. Then, as Florida’s first female Attorney General, she worked to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs, and reduce the tragedy of Fentanyl Overdose Deaths, which have destroyed many families across our Country," Trump wrote at the time. He had initially nominated former Congressman Matt Gaetz for the post, but he withdrew his name after concerns he would not make it through the process.

Bondi was the first woman to serve as the Florida Attorney General and held the office from 2011 to 2019 and has led the legal arm of the America First Policy Institute. She became the pick for AG after Trump initially nominated former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who later withdrew his name from consideration amid a slow release of documents from a House Ethics investigation alleging sexual misconduct.

Trump appointed Bondi, saying that that she will "refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again."