FIRST ON FOX — Dozens of former Justice Department (DOJ) officials sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday urging confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, later this month— praising both her commitment to the rule of law and her track record as Florida’s former attorney general that they said makes her uniquely qualified for the role.

The letter, previewed exclusively to Fox News Digital, was signed by more than 110 senior Justice Department officials who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations, including former U.S. attorneys general John Ashcroft, Jeff Sessions, Bill Barr and Edwin Meese. 

Former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, deputy attorneys general Rod Rosenstein and Jeffrey Rosen, and Randy Grossman, who served as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California under the Biden administration, are among the other notable signatories. 

The DOJ alumni expressed their “strong and enthusiastic support” for Bondi, Florida’s former attorney general, who also spent 18 years as a prosecutor in the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s office.

“It is all too rare for senior Justice Department officials—much less Attorneys General—to have such a wealth of experience in the day-to-day work of keeping our communities safe,” they wrote.

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“As a career prosecutor, Attorney General Bondi will be ready from the first day on the job to fight on behalf of the American people to reduce crime, tackle the opioid crisis, back the women and men in blue, and restore credibility to the Department of Justice,” they wrote in the letter sent to Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

The letter praised Bondi’s work as Florida’s attorney general, where she led an aggressive crackdown on opioid drugs and the many “pill mills” operating in the state when she took office. They also praised what they described as Bondi’s “national reputation” for her work to end human trafficking, and prosecuting violent crime in the state.

Officials also emphasized Bondi’s other achievements in Florida, where she secured consumer protection victories and economic relief on behalf of residents in the Sunshine State. After the 2008 financial crisis, her work leading the National Mortgage Settlement resulted in $56 billion in compensation to victims, the letter said — and in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Bondi’s lawsuit against BP and other companies responsible resulted in a $2 billion settlement in economic relief.

The letter also stressed Bondi’s commitment to the rule of law, and what the former officials touted as her track record of working across the aisle during the more than two decades she spent as a prosecutor. 

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Pam Bondi, former Florida attorney general, arrives to speak during the Republican National Convention at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Some of us have worked directly with Attorney General Bondi during her time in office and can personally attest to her integrity and devotion to the rule of law,” they wrote. “Many more of us know and admire her well-earned reputation from her long and accomplished career in government service in Florida, her litigation and advocacy on the national stage, and her demonstrated courage as a lawyer.”

“As former DOJ officials, we know firsthand the challenges she will face as Attorney General, and we also know she is up to the job.”

Those close to Bondi have praised her long record as a prosecutor, and her staunch loyalty to the president-elect, alongside whom she has worked since 2020—first, helping to represent him in his first impeachment trial, and, more recently, in her post as co-chair of the Center for Law and Justice at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) a think tank set up by former Trump staffers.

She also served in Trump’s first presidential term as a member of his Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission.

Bondi’s former colleagues have told Fox News Digital they expect her to bring the same playbook she used in Florida to Washington—this time with an eye to cracking down on drug trafficking, illicit fentanyl use, and the cartels responsible for smuggling the drugs across the border. 

“We firmly believe the Justice Department and the Nation will benefit from Attorney General Bondi’s leadership,” the DOJ officials  said in conclusion, adding: “We urge you in the strongest manner possible to confirm her as the next Attorney General of the United States.”

Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry is calling on Senate lawmakers, most notably Democrats, to confirm President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, in the wake of a terrorist attack that shook New Orleans. 

“This is no time to play around.  Which is why I am also calling on Senate Democrats on the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee to allow Kristi Noem to get to work on Day 1 as our Secretary of Homeland Security. There should be no gap in leadership. In the wake of the Bourbon Street and Las Vegas attacks, our nation’s security depends on her quick confirmation,” Landry said in a statement Monday. 

Early on New Year’s Day, chaos broke out on Bourbon Street in New Orleans as revelers partied on the streets in celebration of the holiday. The suspect, later identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, is accused of ramming a truck into the crowd on the beloved and famed party street, killing at least 14 and injuring dozens of others. Jabbar, who was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle, was killed after opening fire on police. 

Landry’s office said the Republican governor is expected to meet with President Biden on Monday, when he will press the commander in chief to issue a Presidential Disaster Declaration following the attack. 

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“I look forward to speaking with President Biden today on quickly approving my request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration,” he continued. 

Landry previously sent a letter to Biden detailing the need for the declaration as the city prepares to manage other massive public events this year, including the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras, following the terrorist attack.  

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“This terrorist attack has caused significant harm to our visitors and residents, disrupted essential services, and overwhelmed local and state resources during a time when the city is host to several large-scale events, including the Sugar Bowl and related activities, as well as the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras in coming weeks. The Super Bowl and Mardi Gras will bring in tourists from around the world and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has designated Super Bowl LIX as a Special Event Planning Assessment (“SEAR”) Level 1,” Landry wrote in his letter to Biden on Jan. 2. 

Military personnel walk down Bourbon Street on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Trump announced South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his pick to lead the DHS, which oversees key national security and law enforcement agencies, such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, last year after his win over Vice President Kamala Harris. 

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Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies work the scene on Bourbon Street after at least 14 people were killed when a person allegedly drove into the crowd in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day on Jan. 1, 2025 in New Orleans. (Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)

Landry urging Senate lawmakers to support Noem as DHS chief in the wake of the terrorist attack follows law enforcement groups and leaders from across the nation also throwing their support behind the Trump candidate, urging lawmakers to quickly confirm her to the role. 

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Former President Donald Trump greets South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem at the South Dakota Republican Party Monumental Leaders rally on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023 in Rapid City, South Dakota. (AP Photo/Toby Brusseau)

At least eight police groups or unions have issued letters to Sen. Rand Paul, who sits on the committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, urging the Senate to confirm Noem in order to bolster national security, including to combat the immigration crisis along the southern border, as well as stem the flow of deadly narcotics coming across the border.

A former Virginia high school teacher who allegedly sold vape cartridges containing THC and nicotine to students is now facing multiple charges. 

Kaitlyn Crescent was taken into custody by the Fairfax County Police Department early last week following the alleged incidents at Falls Church High School. 

“On October 24, Child Protective Services received a referral that a teacher was selling vape cartridges to students at school. Detectives were notified and assumed the investigation,” the department said in a statement. 

“Detectives determined that between December 2023 and June 2024, Kaitlyn Cresent, 28, of Alexandria, sold vape cartridges containing nicotine and THC to four students,” the statement added.

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Police say Crescent was charged with Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, Distribution of a Controlled Substance on School Property and Distribution of Tobacco/Hemp to a Minor. 

“She was placed on administrative leave and is no longer employed with Fairfax County Public Schools,” they added. “Cresent was held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on a $4,000 bond.” 

FBI FOUND 150 BOMBS AT VIRGINIA HOME IN DECEMBER, PROSECUTORS SAY 

Kaitlyn Crescent allegedly sold vape cartridges containing THC and nicotine to multiple students, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. (iStock)

A Fairfax County Public Schools spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Monday that Crescent was hired by the district in August 2021 before being let go on Dec. 31, 2024.

A LinkedIn page purportedly belonging to Crescent identifies her as a learning disabilities teacher.

Falls Church High School is located outside of Washington, D.C. (Google Maps)

Investigators are looking to speak with anyone who may have information about the case.