Pam Bondi is currently under the spotlight for her efforts to retain expensive gifts, and it has sparked comparisons to Bill Clinton’s infamous cigar-related scandal involving Monica Lewinsky. Bondi’s situation has escalated into an online uproar following reports about her desire to keep boxes of cigars among other high-value items.
According to a recent report published by The New Yorker, Bondi is vigorously defending her right to hold onto several luxury gifts received during her tenure, including a FIFA soccer ball given by Donald Trump after one of their meetings. In addition, she is keen on retaining a box of cigars gifted by controversial MMA fighter and convicted r–ist Conor McGregor, which has particularly drawn public attention.
New reporting reveals that Pam Bondi has repeatedly fought ethics lawyers trying to enforce federal gift rules.
She has accepted gifts such as boxes of cigars and FIFA Club World Cup Finals seats. pic.twitter.com/FA6XeCbnVI
— FactPost (@factpostnews) August 19, 2025
A source familiar with the matter told The New Yorker, “Every new administration needs time to adjust to ethics rules that might seem trivial. What wasn’t normal was the amount of pushback that we got.”
Bondi has entered disputes with ethics officials over even more contentious issues, such as occupying President Trump’s box during the FIFA Club World Cup finals held at MetLife Stadium, actions that are purportedly against the basic gifting rules to federal employees, explicitly stated on her agency’s website.
Under Department of Justice rules concerning gifts and entertainment, government staffers are permitted to accept only “gifts of $20 or less per occasion, not to exceed $50 in a year from one source.”
The guidelines also caution against accepting gifts that represent a “high market value.” However, Bondi’s actions have blatantly exceeded these limits, especially since box seats at the FIFA World Cup finals range in cost anywhere from $5,300 to $73,000 each.
The most corrupt president in history cashed in hundreds of millions from Bibles, cologne, crypto, global real estate deals, and a $400M jet from Qatar. Now he’s boasting about donating his salary. Shameless. pic.twitter.com/pehitD9KYR
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) August 6, 2025
Despite clear ethical warnings, Bondi and her husband John Wakefield proceeded to join Trump in the presidential box for the July FIFA Club World Cup event. Bondi defended her presence by saying she “might need to be there to brief the president on security issues,” as relayed by the source to The New Yorker.
A Department of Justice official disclosed that Bondi and her husband did not stay for the entire game and that her attendance was linked to a potential need to brief Trump on security matters, something no predecessor attorney general had ever done.
This ongoing dispute over which gifts Bondi can retain has led to a continuous standoff with ethics officials. Critics contend that Bondi’s love for these unethical gifts is unsurprising given the precedent set by her own boss, Donald Trump, who has long normalized a culture of entitlement at the highest government levels.
Just last month, MSNBC reported congressional Republicans blocked attempts to prevent Trump from retaining a gifted Qatari airplane valued at $400 million, alongside over $900 million in taxpayer-funded upgrades.
Beyond this $1 billion jet, Citizens for Ethics highlights numerous occasions where Trump’s businesses earned millions from foreign governments during his presidency alone. Many observers view Bondi’s stubborn defense of her gifts as a mere reflection of the actions of the President himself.
Social media has been flooded with reactions. One user responding to Daily Beast’s coverage on Yahoo sarcastically remarked, “I can just imagine her defense. ‘Well, HE’s getting a jet and a whole bunch of other stuff so I should get to keep some stuff too.’”
Another added, “When the ‘top dog’ is the least ethical person in his own administration it’s not too difficult to believe that the top person in the legal arm is lacking in moral restraint.”
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A blunt comment summed it up: “America’s Attorney General is basically saying to our Nation; ‘If Trump can take bribes, why can’t I?’ Most corrupt administration in history!”
The cigars, in particular, have given rise to a particular kind of criticism. On platform X, user John Valentine joked, “Pam needs to cut back on the cigars. I hear nicotine doesn’t go well with Botox.”
However, others pointed out the historical connotation surrounding cigars in political scandals. The infamous Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky episode in the 1990s involved lurid rumors about a cigar playing a role in their sexual encounters.
While mainstream media did not directly address those rumors, tabloid coverage immortalized it. The Washington Times of that era noted how newspapers shied away from referencing “the President’s cigar, the phallic toy, that Monica is said to have employed in the pantry, to the President’s delighted applause.”
I feel like not nearly enough attention is paid to the fact that Jeffrey Epstein had a painting of George W Bush throwing a paper plane at two collapsed jenga buildings hanging next to his painting of Bill Clinton wearing the sticky Monica Lewinsky dress pic.twitter.com/ZAhFgeYQc5
— Sophie 🦎 (@SophieXY44) August 7, 2025
Consequently, when Bondi insisted on holding onto her cigar gifts, internet users had a field day drawing provocative parallels. Comments included, “Why is Pam Bondi accepting cigars as a gift? Does she have a Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky fetish?” and “I wonder what those cigars are for… Monica, you there?” One commenter cut to the chase: “She doesn’t smoke. What is she using those cigars for?”
Besides the issue with high value gifts, there are also other ethical aspects of Bondi that are under question. The Trump administration remains under scrutiny for its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, with Bondi playing a pivotal role.
After becoming attorney general earlier this year, Bondi claimed in a late February Fox News interview that she possessed Epstein’s client list. “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review,” she said. “That’s been a directive by President Trump. I’m reviewing that.”
From 1995 to 1997, Bill Clinton cheated on his then 48 year old wife Hillary Clinton (left pic) with his then 22 year old secretary Monica Lewinsky (right pic)…yet Hillary didn’t file for divorce or cheat back, cause she understood men are polygamous by nature… pic.twitter.com/RtXxugvmRF
— 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒕 𝑶𝒇 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉 (@Shadaya_Knight) March 11, 2023
The situation intensified in early July when the Justice Department announced the Epstein case was closed, following years of conspiracy theories stoked by Trump and his circle regarding Epstein’s apparent suicide in jail and the mysterious client list. Trump’s loyalists erupted in outrage against what they viewed as backtracking on promises to release the files.
Later in July, reports emerged claiming Bondi had informed Trump twice in May that his name was among those in the Epstein files, influencing the decision to close the case. Since Bondi had publicly promised to make those files available, a huge chunk of accountability has fallen on her, which now combined with her love for unethical gifts have caused intense criticism.
