Attorney General; former Ballard Partners lobbyist
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dated entries
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records
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What the record shows
Pam BondiAttorney General; former Ballard Partners lobbyist
Sold at least $1 million of Trump Media stock on April 2, 2025, the day tariffs were announced; her old firm was paid $690,000 in one quarter to lobby her department
Bondi's transaction report shows the sale on 'Liberation Day'; the tariffs were announced after the market closed and the report gives no time of day. Ballard Partners, where she lobbied until January 2025, reported $690,000 in fees to lobby the Justice Department in a single quarter. Her department is also the one that settled the President's $230 million claims and his IRS suit.
Response: Bondi told a House hearing the sale complied with her ethics agreement, which required her to divest. Ballard has said she would recuse from matters she personally worked on.
Holding office, or a family name, is not a crime. This page says only what the sources say, and carries the response where one was given. Every story we have filed that names Pam Bondi: Pam Bondi in the news.
In the timeline
Every entry that names Pam Bondi
5 dated entries from the Grift Files timeline, oldest first, each with its source.
Attorney General Bondi sells at least $1 million of Trump Media stock on 'Liberation Day'
$1MThe circle
An ethics transaction report obtained by CBS News showed Attorney General Pam Bondi sold between $1 million and $5.5 million of Trump Media shares on April 2, 2025, the day Trump announced sweeping tariffs. The stock fell more than 10 percent the next day. Bondi had received the shares, worth over $3.9 million in a December disclosure, as payment for consulting work for the company. Her ethics agreement required her to sell them.
The response: The Justice Department did not immediately respond to CBS News's questions about the sale and its timing (May 15, 2025).
Attorney General Bondi sells $1 million-plus in Trump Media stock on tariff day
$1MThe circle
A government ethics transaction report obtained by CBS News shows Pam Bondi sold at least $1 million, and up to $5.5 million, of Trump Media & Technology Group shares on April 2, 2025, the day President Trump announced his sweeping "Liberation Day" tariffs after the market closed. The stock fell more than 10% the next day. Her December disclosure had shown more than $3.9 million in Trump Media stock received as pay for consulting work. ProPublica first reported the sale; the filing does not show the time of day.
The response: The Justice Department did not immediately respond to CBS News. Bondi later told a House hearing the sale complied with her ethics agreement, which required her to divest within 90 days of confirmation.
Bondi's old lobbying firm is paid $690,000 in one quarter to lobby her Justice Department
$690,000The circle
Lobbying filings reviewed by Public Citizen show Ballard Partners, where Pam Bondi was a partner and lobbyist until January 2025 and earned more than $1 million over two years, collected $690,000 from eight clients between April and June 2025 to lobby the Justice Department on antitrust, sports betting and contractor debarment. Clients included Walgreens, American Express and the NFL. Bondi's one-year ethics pledge, which barred her from matters involving Ballard clients, ran only until Feb. 4, 2026. Ballard also lobbied for the government of Qatar.
The response: Ballard has said Bondi would recuse from anything she personally worked on at the firm. The filings do not identify which DOJ officials were lobbied, and DOJ did not answer questions about Bondi's involvement.
Justice Department refuses to release Bondi memo blessing the jet; press group sues
$934MThe President
The Freedom of the Press Foundation sued the Justice Department after it refused to release a May 2025 memo, reportedly signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi, concluding the jet gift was "legally permissible." DOJ said the document would not be available until January 25, 2027 because of a 620-day average processing time. Bondi had previously lobbied for the Qatari government. On August 8, Democracy Defenders Fund asked the Pentagon inspector general and GAO to examine the acceptance and the reported shift of $934 million from a missile program to pay for the retrofit.
The response: A Justice Department spokesperson blamed the delay on a "historic increase" in FOIA requests and said the agency is working "as quickly and efficiently as possible" (Courthouse News). The Pentagon inspector general declined to comment (CBS).
DOJ's anti-corruption section shrinks from 36 full-time lawyers to two
The circle
NOTUS reported that the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, which prosecutes corrupt officials, had 36 attorneys working corruption cases full time when Trump took office and was down to two, the smallest since its creation in 1976; all but one of its paralegals were gone, and in June DOJ dropped the requirement to consult the section on campaign-finance and election cases. The day after her confirmation, Bondi had also disbanded the task force that pursued unregistered foreign agents. In August 2025, Sen. Warren, Rep. Nadler and more than 60 other Democrats wrote that Bondi and Patel had given "a green light to would-be lawbreakers."
The response: DOJ said it "takes public corruption seriously and continues to prosecute these cases"; White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the administration is restoring integrity and trust in institutions. DOJ and FBI declined to comment on the Democrats' letter.
4 records you can open and read yourself: financial disclosures, securities filings, court dockets, budget-office estimates, Treasury figures and congressional reports. Every link goes to the official copy or the original report.
Describes the July 7, 2025 MOU: 'bona fide gift' to DoD, 'unconditional', anti-bribery language, Air Force surprise that it was a donation rather than a sale, Sentinel funds transfer, and the Freedom of the Press Foundation FOIA suit over the Bondi memo.
CNN (reporting the Hegseth-Qatar memorandum of understanding)
FOIA suit by the Freedom of the Press Foundation seeking the May 2025 Bondi memo calling the jet gift 'legally permissible'; DOJ said release would take until Jan. 25, 2027. The memo itself has not been made public.
Staffing history of the Public Integrity Section, the June 2025 suspension of mandatory consultation on election cases, and Bondi's disbanding of the FARA task force.
