Pam Bondi was one of Trump's lawyers the first time he as president was brought to trial. He was then accused of having tried to pressure Ukraine's government for personal political gain, but he was acquitted in the congressional process.
"The partisan Justice Department has for too long been used as a weapon against me and other Republicans – not now anymore", writes Donald Trump in social media.
He adds that the new candidate will be tasked with "making America safe again".
Bondi comes from the city of Tampa in Florida and has more than 18 years of experience as a prosecutor. She has previously held the highest judicial office in Florida, as the state's Attorney General. In that role, she was once accused of having received a bribe from none other than Donald Trump in the form of a donation, but it did not lead to prosecution.
Bondi has in recent years defended the former president in all federal criminal investigations and dismissed them as political processes.
Trump initially nominated Representative Matt Gaetz, who has long fought for the former president's cause in Congress in Washington DC. But Gaetz stepped back on Thursday, after the nomination drew new attention to the allegations of buying sex that have been directed against him and an investigation that has been ongoing in the House of Representatives' ethics committee.
The incoming President of the United States, Donald Trump, nominated Matt Gaetz, Representative from Florida, to the post of Attorney General. The choice sparked reactions as Gaetz had been a controversial and radical voice within the Republicans. He was also the subject of an investigation into previous allegations of buying sex in the House of Representatives' ethics committee.
Gaetz left his seat in Congress when he was nominated and the committee's investigation was thus discontinued – but the question remained whether it would make public what had come to light so far. The committee's Republicans voted against it, so it was stopped.
The allegations became increasingly clear anyway, and according to testimony from two young women, Matt Gaetz paid them for sex. One of them was allegedly a minor on one occasion.
Gaetz has denied the allegations. The Justice Department has investigated them without going further with a prosecution.
