Florida Bar complaint accuses Bondi of ‘misconduct’ as U.S. Attorney General

 Miami Herald -  About 70 law professors, attorneys and former Florida Supreme Court justices filed an ethics complaint Thursday, June 5, 2025, with the Florida Bar against U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. They accuse Bondi of violating her ethical duties as U.S. Attorney General, saying she has committed “serious professional misconduct.”

During her Senate confirmation hearing for U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi tip-toed around whether she would stand up to President Donald Trump’s pressure on the Justice Department, promising only in a broad sense that “politics has to be taken out of this system.”

Since her confirmation in February, Bondi has earned the praise of conservative Republicans for loyally following Trump’s agenda while drawing the wrath of critics on the Democratic spectrum who say she has politicized the Justice Department on issues ranging from illegal immigration to public corruption.

Now, a liberal- and moderate-leaning coalition of about 70 law professors, attorneys and former Florida Supreme Court justices is attacking Bondi’s record in an ethics complaint filed on Thursday with the Florida Bar. They accuse Bondi of violating her ethical duties as U.S. Attorney General, saying she has committed “serious professional misconduct that threatens the rule of law and the administration of justice.”

The complaint claims Bondi “has sought to compel Department of Justice lawyers to violate their ethical obligations under the guise of ‘zealous advocacy’ “ that she espoused in a Feb. 5 memo to all agency employees on her first day in office.

The complaint further says Bondi threatened agency lawyers with discipline or termination if they failed “to zealously pursue the President’s political objectives,” alleging her conduct violates Florida Bar rules and longstanding norms of the Justice Department.