Tune out the noise and know this: former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi is the force we need to fix the Department of Justice, and Americans can rest assured that weaponizing any part of our nation’s criminal justice system will soon come to a decisive end. 

Strong, intelligent and a dear friend and colleague, Bondi is a litigator I’ve always respected and admired. She served as Florida’s first AG for eight years after a successful 18 years as a county prosecutor where she followed the rule of law and actively listened to constituents who wanted strong and safe communities. 

As a former Democrat, she witnessed first-hand the elitism and divisive politics from grassroots to national policy before switching to the GOP in 2000.  Bondi championed anti-human-trafficking legislation while helping to bring the issue into the national spotlight, and she justifiably demanded the Department of Justice be diligent and transparent in their investigations of Hunter Biden. 

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I have great confidence that Bondi and President-elect Donald Trump recognize that the hallmark of justice is the equal application of the law, and that this month’s "red sweep" of the election is evidence that voters want politicians to stop the rhetoric and solve problems. 

When it comes to conservative criminal justice solutions, any crime rate data is meaningless if Americans don’t feel safe. One victim or any single crime-riddled community is one too many. And with the permeation of social media, all of it feels imminent to our own families and neighborhoods. 

While some Republicans are reacting to constituents' fears with knee-jerk, ineffective tough-on-crime policies, history has shown us, responding to crime with overly punitive policies doesn’t make any of us safer. 

As a former U.S. attorney, I worked closely with the Trump administration to help craft and pass the landmark, bipartisan 2018 First Step Act, and I can tell you that thoughtful, conservative criminal justice solutions work.  

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Through improved federal prison programming, targeted sentencing reforms, and other First Step Act directives, public safety has improved. Of the 44,000 individuals released from federal prison under the First Step Act, only 9.7% have been rearrested or reconvicted — an incredible improvement from 46.2% prior to 2018. 

Just as the name implies, this landmark law was a first step for Trump and other conservative criminal justice advocates to use smart on crime policy solutions to improve public safety. Conservatives can build on that success by promoting thoughtful conservative policy ideas in our states, counties and at the federal level.  

No matter what your party affiliation, we can all agree that one victim is one too many and that criminals must be held accountable. Haphazardly creating new crimes or stiffer sentencing do not deter individual criminals — rather, it is the predictability of being caught that deters individuals from committing a crime.  

Further, boots-on-the-ground law enforcement in every capacity needs our support and resources. When forces are stretched too thin with outdated technology and policies, it’s no surprise that only 57.8% of murders and 26.9% of rapes are being solved. Victims deserve better. 

As America’s next attorney general, Bondi will empower Americans to work together to find solutions to solve criminal justice problems unique to their own communities and to stand their ground against any attempted weaponization of our justice system. 

With Pam Bondi at the helm, the DOJ is on notice that transparency and an equal application of the law is non-negotiable. And with that, conservatives have a real opportunity to be the grown-ups in the room and create criminal justice solutions that are equitable for all Americans today and for generations to come. 

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