Pam Bondi's Extensive Lobbying For Wealthy Special Interests and Foreign Governments Poses Serious Conflicts Of Interest

Pam Bondi is a registered lobbyist with the Washington, D.C.-based firm Ballard Partners and has represented wealthy special interests and foreign governments, presenting serious potential conflicts of interest if she is confirmed as Attorney General. When presenting information to the Committee, Pam Bondi only listed two potential conflicts of interest: her work for America First Policy Institute and her brother's legal practice.

Bondi failed to identify every single one of these as potential conflicts of interest:

• Employment as a partner at Ballard Partners: Bondi did not list her current role as a lobbyist as a potential conflict of interest, nor any of the specific work she's done for her clients that might implicate her role as the chief federal law enforcement officer. She's lobbied on behalf of more than 30 different clients, including corporations like Amazon and Uber, government contractors like private prisons, and the government of Qatar.
• Lobbying on behalf of private prisons: Bondi lobbied for The GEO Group, a private prison company that has faced criticism for safety violations, providing inadequate health care, and poor management practices. These actions have negatively impacted the welfare and rights of incarcerated individuals and immigration detainees, and The GEO Group stands to earn hundreds of millions of dollars during the Trump Administration, as ICE is its largest source of revenue.
• Lobbying Congress on behalf of Qatar: As a FARA-registered lobbyist, Bondi lobbied Congress on behalf of Qatar, earning $115,000 per month.
• Employment in private practice: Bondi did not list any potential conflicts of interest from her private practice.

U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement:

"I'm disappointed that Pam Bondi failed to list several clear conflicts of interest, which indicates she does not take these conflicts seriously. The American people deserve an Attorney General who avoids even the appearance of impropriety, and they deserve an Attorney General who will put them ahead of any wealthy special interest or foreign government."

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