Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly tangled with ethics officials over lavish gifts, including a dispute over box seats at the FIFA Club World Cup finals, The New Yorker reported Monday.
“Every new administration needs time to adjust to ethics rules that might seem trivial,” said a source described by The New Yorker as someone “familiar with the discussions.” “What wasn’t normal was the amount of pushback that we got.”
According to the source, Bondi had feuded with ethics officials over several gifts, one being a FIFA soccer ball handed to the nation’s top law enforcement officer after a meeting. Another instance involved Bondi wanting to keep a box of cigars gifted to her from Conor McGregor, the Irish professional mixed martial artist.
A more detailed account was shared regarding “Bondi’s desire to sit in the president’s box at the FIFA Club World Cup finals,” something ethics officials advised could be in violation of basic federal ethics rules on gifts, rules that are clearly outlined on her agency’s own website.
Under federal gift rules, a DOJ employee should refuse gifts of more than $20 per occasion, and not to exceed $50 in one year from a single source. Even for gifts that would otherwise be permissible, the rules state that they should still be refused should they have a “high market value.” Box seat prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup were released in May, and run anywhere from $5,300 to $73,000 each.
Against the ethics officials’ advice, Bondi, along with her husband, John Wakefield, ultimately sat with Trump regardless at the FIFA Club World Cup, with Bondi arguing that she "might need to be there to brief the president on security issues," according to the source.
Responding to The New Yorker, a DOJ official told the publication that Bondi and her husband did not remain for the entire game.
