President-elect Donald Trump’s new choice to head the Justice Department is reportedly the sister of the lawyer who represented Elon Musk and Tesla against federal charges that Musk committed securities fraud. If confirmed, Trump’s Attorney General nominee Pamela Bondi would be in a position to shut down federal prosecutors’ ongoing investigation of Musk’s company.
Trump is also reportedly considering nominating Bondi’s brother to head the federal agency that brought fraud charges against Musk.
Bradley Bondi was listed in federal documents as Musk and Tesla’s attorney in the company’s 2018 battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over a series of Musk’s tweets that the agency said misled shareholders about the financial status of the company, boosting Tesla’s stock price and leading to “significant market disruption.”
Bondi negotiated a settlement with the SEC and continued to represent Musk and Tesla when the SEC alleged that he violated the terms of the agreement a year later.
Musk appealed the case up to the Supreme Court, but the high court declined to hear the case in April.
While Bondi was representing Tesla in 2018, he testified in front of the House Financial Services Committee that the SEC should be more lenient about issuing fines against public companies.
“In my two decades of experience as a defense lawyer, an SEC investigation into potential securities law violations by a public company, even an investigation that ultimately does not find any violations of law, can take several years, distract management, and cost the company tens of millions of dollars,” Bondi testified in June 2018. “The cost of that investigation is directly borne by the shareholders of the company.”
According to multiple publications, Bondi is now being considered for the position of SEC chair, replacing outgoing head Gary Gensler.
Brad Bondi is widely reported to be Pam Bondi’s brother.
If confirmed, Pam Bondi would oversee a Justice Department that is reportedly investigating whether Musk’s electric vehicle company misled customers and investors about its cars’ self-driving capabilities. Tesla is testing a robotaxi service in California, a process that was reportedly secret until Musk announced the operations in a recent Tesla earnings call in October.
Barron’s additionally reports that Brad Bondi “worked on the deal that led to Trump Media’s public listing.”
Brad Bondi also helped lead Trump’s “landing team” for the Export-Import Bank, a federal agency that “assists businesses export their goods by providing financial assistance,” during his first transition team.
Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, called Bondi and other Trump 2016 transition team members “servants of corporate interests.”
Trump’s decision to nominate Bondi will “further cement [the] plutocracy” running Washington, said Kenny Stancil, a senior researcher at the Revolving Door Project, a government watchdog group.
“Donald Trump’s decision to nominate Pam Bondi for Attorney General is a win for Elon Musk and corporate criminals everywhere,” Stancil told The Lever in a statement. “A Bondi-led Justice Department would almost certainly shield Musk and Tesla from federal scrutiny.”
Brad Bondi did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
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