AMY GOD MAN: Yes, it is Democracy Now!democracynow.org. We ship from Baku, Azerbaijan.

But we’re wrapping up today’s show looking at Donald Trump’s new pick to lead the Justice Department, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Trump made the announcement hours after Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration for attorney general amid a firestorm over allegations of sex trafficking with a 17-year-old girl he had sex with.

Pam Bondi was Florida’s attorney general from 2011 to 2019. She served on Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial, and now works at the Trump-affiliated America First Policy Institute. As a lobbyist, her clients have included Amazon, GM, Uber and the nation of Qatar. The news agency Lever reports Bondi’s brother, Brad Bondi, has represented Elon Musk and Tesla against federal securities fraud charges.

We are joined from Rochester, New York by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston, co-founder of DCReport, author of three books on Donald Trump, including The Great Cheat: How Donald Trump Fleeed America and Enriched Himself and His Family. In that book, he describes how Bondi dropped an investigation into Trump University in 2013 after Trump’s family foundation donated $25,000 to her campaign.

David, talk about her nomination and the significance of the Trump University case.

DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Well, in Pam Bondi, Donald Trump has exactly the person he really wants: someone who will be a lap dog when it comes to wrongdoing by the people he likes and wants to isolate and protect, and a vicious attack dog for anyone Donald Trump wants. seek revenge against.

And she showed her loyalty to him 11 years ago, when, through part of her campaign, she accepted a partner in her campaign for Florida attorney general, a $25,000 contribution from Trump University (sic), a non-profit organization, a charity. Charities in America are not allowed to give to political campaigns. Her campaign defended keeping that money. Meanwhile, there were complaints from people in Florida that they had been scammed by Trump University, Donald Trump’s fraudulent education scheme. And she killed that investigation. So the fact that Pam Bondi is corrupt and totally loyal to Trump has been thoroughly established.

AMY GOD MAN: So talk about what has happened. I mean, she’s supposed to be the head of the Department of Justice – what exactly does that mean? And again, her nomination follows the nomination of another Floridian — right? — Matt Gaetz, who added information on this House investigative report. If you want to comment on that, and then more about who Pam Bondi is, how close she is to Trump, how, I guess you could say, tied to Trump? And what would it mean to be the Minister of Justice?

DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Well, Matt Gaetz, who practiced law long enough to have a cup of coffee, was a completely unsuitable candidate. And I think Donald Trump put him forward as a test of the loyalty and obedience of the United States senators who are Republicans. He asked them to arrange what is known as a recess appointment, which would have allowed Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general for two years without the advice and consent of the Senate, as required by the US Constitution. What he was really doing was finding out: Will the US senators bow to him and ignore their constitutional duties and further his efforts to become our dictator, something you know I’ve been warning about for nine years?

Now, in Bondi, he has someone who represented him on the floor of the House during his first impeachment. And I think it would be perfectly reasonable to call her fumbling and not very good, certainly not competent. But that doesn’t matter to Donald. What is important to Donald is total loyalty.

If you want to create a dictatorship in the United States, there are two things that Donald must do to fulfill his statement that he will be a dictator, even if he claims for a day. You must check compliance with the laws. And there are more than 100,000 people at the Justice Department. The FBI is, for example, under the Attorney General. And then, secondly, you must fire these general officers, admirals and generals, who will not do your bidding and ignore their oath, and replace them with greedy junior officers who will do your bidding and politicize the US military. Those are the two key levers to create a Trump dictatorship.

AMY GOD MAN: And finally, can you talk about her other positions and her position as chair of the equivalent of the Heritage Foundation, the America First group, which has taken many positions like hers against same-sex marriage, against the Affordable Care Act, etc., David Cay Johnston?

DAVID CAY JOHNSTON: Well, Pam Bondi has been a lobbyist—she registered properly, unlike some people around Trump—representing Qatar and other foreign interests, as well as some domestic companies, including—I don’t remember the exact names, sorry. But she has clearly identified with the people who want to take freedom from the Americans.

The Republican Party used this expression that it stood for freedom, for individual freedom. It is very clear that it now stands for authoritarian control. And the organization she joined is part of that. You will behave as we want you to in the Trump administration, or we will find ways to punish you; we will find ways to take away money, to shut down your nonprofit on a whim, just an accusation without proof. And remember, under the US Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, anything Donald Trump does in his official capacity is beyond scrutiny by anyone anywhere. They have — the Supreme Court majority has effectively created a dictatorship for Trump. The question is: Does he have the skills to do it? No. Does he have people around him who are competent to carry it out? Absolutely.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, I want to thank you so much for being with us, David Cay Johnston, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, co-founder of DCReport, author of three books on Trump, including The Great Cheat: How Donald Trump Fleeed America and Enriched Himself and His Family.

I want to say a big thank you to our local team here in Baku, Azerbaijan: Dave Pentlow, Julian Jones, David Iacolucci, Tobin Shackleford, Callum Skipworth, Rufana Kamilova.

A very happy birthday to Alexa Nyemchek! Democracy Now! produced with Renée Feltz, Mike Burke, Deena Guzder, Messiah Rhodes, Nermeen Shaikh, María Taracena, Tami Woronoff, Charina Nadura, Sam Alcoff, Tey-Marie Astudillo, John Hamilton, Robby Karran, Hany Massoud, Hana Elias, Sonyi Lopez. Our Managing Director is Julie Crosby. Special thanks to Becca Staley, Jon Randolph, Paul Powell, Mike Di Filippo, Miguel Nogueira, Hugh Gran, Denis Moynihan, David Prude, Dennis McCormick.

To see all our coverage from COP29go to democracynow.org and all social media platforms. We are right there. I’m Amy Goodman. Thank you so much for being with us.