Pam Bondi Joins Ballard Partners as Lobbyist, Monetizing Government Connections

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi joined Ballard Partners, the powerful Trump-connected lobbying firm, as chairwoman of the Corporate Regulatory Compliance practice immediately after leaving office in January 2019. Over the next five years, Bondi would lobby on behalf of more than 30 clients including Amazon, Uber, General Motors, Qatar (earning $115,000 per month), private prisons, and government contractors seeking to profit from Trump administration policies. Ballard Partners, founded by major Trump fundraiser Brian Ballard, also employed Trump’s 2024 campaign chief and incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, creating a revolving door between Trump’s political operation, corporate lobbying, and government service. Bondi temporarily left Ballard in November 2019 to serve on Trump’s first impeachment defense team, then rejoined in March 2020 after the Senate acquitted Trump. Her lobbying work created extensive conflicts of interest when she became Attorney General in 2025, as many of her former clients faced DOJ scrutiny or sought favorable regulatory treatment. The Ballard Partners connection exemplifies the pay-to-play system where Trump administration officials leverage government positions to enrich themselves and their corporate clients, with policy outcomes determined by lobbying expenditures rather than public interest. Senate Democrats documented how Bondi’s extensive lobbying for “wealthy special interests and foreign governments poses serious conflict of interest” as Attorney General.