Why Did Florida AG Pam Bondi, Government Employee, Guest Host The Five For Three Days Last Week?
Despite currently being employed as Florida’s attorney general, Pam Bondi stayed in New York last week to appear on Fox News’ The Five and co-hosted the show for three straight weekdays.
“The Florida Ethics Commission cleared Pam Bondi to appear as a co-host of The Five and travel to New York,” Fox News said in a statement responding to conflict of interest concerns.
Per the Tampa Bay Times, Bondi’s Wednesday-Friday appearances on Fox News were such a concern that she had a Florida lawyer speak “to the [the Florida Commission on Ethics] on behalf of the Attorney General” to ensure she was not violating any rules.
Additionally, Bondi’s spokeswoman Kylie Mason told the Tampa Bay Times that the public official was not paid by the cable news network and state funds were not used to fund her travels to New York.
“She is often on national news,” Mason said when defending Bondi’s decision to appear on the network in a guest host capacity. “The attorney general is always working, she is available 24/7 and works even when out of the state.”
Curiously, Bondi will finish out her term as state attorney general in just a few months, so — like other former Republican officials in the past — she could find a home at Fox News, according to people close to Bondi who spoke to the Tampa Bay Times.
If her guest hosting was an audition, it certainly wasn’t her first, as Bondi has frequently appeared on the network as a guest for months.
But her appearance as a guest host marked a new era in Bondi’s relationship with Fox News. Instead of just appearing on the network to discuss issues in Florida or comment on national news for a few minutes at a time, Bondi could be seen peacocking by arguing with other hosts, laughing at funny news clips, and criticizing Democrats.
She even went on Sean Hannity’s show during her extended stay in New York, where the current king of cable news applauded Bondi’s performance on The Five.
[image via screengrab]
