Trump AG pick Pam Bondi would 'make America safe again' with 'back to basics' DOJ approach: former colleague

Former FBI Special Agent Nicole Parker, who worked hand-in-hand with Trump's pick for attorney general, said Pam Bondi is a "woman of integrity" who, if confirmed, would prosecute fairly and stick to the U.S. Constitution.

Parker told Fox News Digital that she worked with Bondi after the February 2018 Stoneman Douglas massacre in Parkland, Florida, which stole the lives of 17 students. She noted that Bondi's "tender heart" and boots-on-the-ground attitude assisted the community during the tragic mass shooting.

"At the time, Pam was serving as the attorney general, and I was an FBI Special Agent assigned to the Violent Crime Squad. And I was responding to that tragic, just absolutely heartbreaking incident, and Pam Bondi made her way down to South Florida as quickly as possible, and she was there for her constituents in this dark moment of need," she said.

"What really inspired and touched me about Pam is that she has a very tender heart, and she has a lot of compassion, and she genuinely cares about the people that she serves," Parker said. "She has that very fine and delicate balance of being very tough and strong but also having a soul and having compassion and caring for the victims that she's helping."

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Parker pointed to Bondi's years of experience as Florida's top cop, saying that "her number one goal is to serve and protect the American people."

"Based on her track record in Florida, it's very obvious to me that she will be tough on crime, and she will make America safe again. And her loyalty, No. 1, is to the Constitution and to the truth," she said. "And that is what we need in an attorney general. She's not just about saying what needs to be said to get where she needs to go. No, she is a woman of integrity, and she's going to stand up for what is true."

Bondi is a Trump loyalist with close ties to the president-elect and has been by his side since his first term in office. She also represented Trump during his first impeachment, serving as one of his lawyers, and remaining a vocal advocate.

On Wednesday, many of Bondi's questions surrounded the extent of loyalty she has to the incoming president. Parker spoke of Bondi's personal integrity and class, which she believes will be marks of her Cabinet role, if confirmed.

"Based on my personal experience with her, she is a woman of integrity. She is a woman of class. She is brilliant. She is smart. She is kind, and she has compassion, and she genuinely cares," she said. "And I think she's doing the right thing for the right reasons. And I think she will do a fantastic job as she always has."

Trump's pick to lead the Department of Justice promised in her congressional hearing to end the weaponization of the justice system, saying she "will not target people" based on their political affiliation.

"I think that is the whole problem with the weaponization that we have seen in the last four years and what's been happening to Donald Trump," Bondi said. "They targeted Donald Trump. They went after him, actually, starting back in 2016, they targeted his campaign. They have launched countless investigations against him. That will not be the case if I am attorney general. I will not politicize that office. I will not target people simply because of their political affiliation."

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Parker echoed Bondi's words, telling Fox News Digital that she's going to "stand up for what is right."

"I think that's something, sadly, that's been lacking recently, especially in this administration," she said. "I know that for myself, having worked in the FBI, we reported to the Department of Justice and [current Attorney General] Merrick Garland, and it seemed that the goal was more pleasing this current administration. And I was very flabbergasted by some of the Democrats' questions because they talked about their concern that she might politicize the Department of Justice. And I thought, ‘Where have you been the last four years?’ The Department of Justice has been politicized at a level that I have never seen before, and I've been with the FBI for close to 13 years."

"We are sick and tired of this two-tier system of justice. Americans just want fairness," Parker said. "They want Lady Justice to be blind again. And they want an attorney general that's going to enforce the laws equally and fairly."

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Parker said that she believes that, if confirmed, Bondi will prioritize cracking down on human traffickers, violent crime, counterterrorism and illegal drug use plaguing the nation.

"She is walking in to a situation where, in my opinion, the Justice Department has been focused on many of the wrong priorities for the last several years," she said. "We need to stop the political charade, and we need to get back to protecting the people."

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"I think that she has a very clear vision and understanding of what her goals and priorities are," Parker said of Bondi. "And I think she made it very clear that she's not there to push people's political and social agendas like we've seen in the past."

She also noted that state attorneys general "crave strong leadership" and want to see a revival of trust in the top prosecuting agencies.

"I appreciate that Bondi unequivocally expressed her appreciation for the excellent agents, law enforcement officers who are carrying out their duties with honor and put their lives on the line every day to protect Americans and uphold the Constitution. I worked shoulder to shoulder with some outstanding prosecutors and agents who work tirelessly behind the scenes," Parker said. 

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"The rank and file, those doing the heavy lifting, welcome Bondi’s arrival as the next AG," she said. "They crave strong leadership and anxiously await an AG with a strong track record of holding criminals responsible and who will regain the trust of the American people."

Bondi said in her opening statement that if confirmed as attorney general, she will return the Justice Department "to its core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously prosecuting criminals."

"That includes getting back to basics: gangs, drugs, terrorists, cartels, our border and our foreign adversaries," she said.

Bondi said that, like Trump, she believes the DOJ is on the cusp of a new golden age.

"Lastly and most importantly, if confirmed, I will fight every day to restore confidence and integrity to the Department of Justice and each of its components – the partisanship, the weaponization – will be gone. America will have one tier of justice for all," she said.