Brad Bondi, Pam Bondi's Brother, Loses Election And Says ‘Rabid Partisans’ Were 'Smearing Me'

Brad Bondi, the brother of Attorney General Pam Bondi, got trounced in the election for president of the D.C. Bar, according to the results announced Monday. He accused “rabid partisans” of setting out to damage his reputation.

“Their tactics, which included smearing me over my family and peddling conspiracies about my intentions, were not just an assault on my integrity but on the D.C. Bar’s very mission,” he said in a statement posted on LinkedIn.

Diane A. Seltzer, who runs her own law firm, defeated Bondi, a partner at Paul Hastings, 34,982 votes to 3,490.

Members of the D.C. Bar were worried that selecting Bondi would enable the Trump administration to gain more influence over the group, The Washington Post reported. Multiple law firms President Donald Trump has perceived as adversaries have caved to administration demands for pro bono work on causes that are friendly to the president. He had issued executive orders that would have denied them government access if they didn’t capitulate, potentially hurting them financially.

“We have a Bar full of lawyers who care about making sure their leadership reflects their values, which are maintaining the rule of law, being able to practice law without fear of retaliation, and having a leader who is experienced and has the qualifications to be in that position,” Seltzer said on the D.C. Bar’s website.

Her term begins July 1.

Bondi, meanwhile, reacted bitterly to his defeat.

“I had hoped this race would be a contest of ideas to enhance services for our widely varied members,” Bondi said on LinkedIn. “Instead, I am disgusted by how rabid partisans lurched this election into the political gutter, turning a professional campaign into baseless attacks, identity politics, and partisan recrimination.”

Brad Bondi's D.C. Bar candidacy ended in a resounding defeat.

The Washington Post via Getty Images