Pam Bondi, Rick Scott, Tim Tebow will speak at Donald Trump’s GOP convention
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose ties to Donald Trump have been a source of controversy, will have a prime-time speaking role at next week’s Republican National Convention along with Gov. Rick Scott and Gator football legend Tim Tebow.
Bondi is scheduled to give a five-minute address at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on the subject of law enforcement.
She’s one of five Floridians on the list of convention speakers released Thursday by the Republican National Convention.
The others are former Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson, a West Palm Beach resident; Sharon Day of Fort Lauderdale, national co-chair of the GOP; Scott, and Tebow, the Heisman Trophy-winning former quarterback who is from Jacksonville.
Scott and Tebow are both scheduled to address the convention on the final night,Thursday, July 21.
For Bondi, the exposure on all three major cable networks offers an opening for her critics to launch a new wave of attacks over her connections to Trump.
As the state’s chief legal officer, Bondi is the target of an ethics complaint over her solicitation of a $25,000 campaign contribution from Trump in 2013. At that time, her office has said, two consumers had lodged complaints involving the sales practices of Trump University, a for-profit real estate school that is the subject of hundreds of complaints and nationwide class action lawsuits in California and New York.
Bondi decided not to open an investigation of Trump University and urged complaints be filed with New York, which had already launched a probe of the school.
“No one in my office ever opened an investigation on Trump University nor was there a basis for doing so,” Bondi said last month. “I have spent my career prosecuting criminals and protecting Floridians.”
Bondi, 50, a former Hillsborough County assistant state attorney, was elected attorney general in 2010 and re-elected two years ago. She cannot run for a third term because of term limits.
She’s one of several prominent Republican women who will be showcased at the Cleveland convention as Trump tries to narrow a gender gap with Democrat Hillary Clinton among women voters.
Bondi, an enthusiastic supporter of Jeb Bush’s candidacy, endorsed Trump after the former governor dropped out of the race in February.
Bush is one of a number of prominent Republicans who will boycott their party’s convention.
Bondi also spoke at the 2012 GOP convention in her hometown of Tampa and in prime time on Wednesday.
She shared the spotlight with Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens, and the two officials spent their six minutes on live TV largely criticizing the federal affordable care act, known as Obamacare.
“It is time to stop those who ignore the Constitution when it’s expedient,” Bondi said in 2012.
The New York Times is reporting the rest of Trump’s convention schedule, though subject to changes:
Monday: A Benghazi focus, followed by border patrol agents and Jamiel Shaw Sr., whose son was killed by an undocumented immigrant. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani; Melania Trump; Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and others.
Tuesday: A focus on the economy: Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship; Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson; Michael Mukasey, the former United States attorney general; Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a vice-presidential contender; Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the majority leader; Tiffany Trump; Donald Trump Jr., and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
Wednesday: Bondi; Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a space shuttle mission; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Eric Trump; professional golfer Natalie Gulbis, and the nominee for vice president.
Thursday: Tebow; Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin; Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman; Scott; billionaire Peter Thiel; Thomas J. Barrack Jr., a private-equity real estate investor; Ivanka Trump, and Donald J. Trump.
Information from the New York Times was used in this report.
Contact Steve Bousquet atbousquet@tampabay.com. Follow @stevebousquet.
This story was originally published July 14, 2016 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Pam Bondi, Rick Scott, Tim Tebow will speak at Donald Trump’s GOP convention."