Pam Bondi was nominated by US President-elect Donald Trump to be the next attorney general late on Thursday.

Axar.az reports that "Pam will refocus the [Department of Justice] to its intended purpose of fight crime, and making America safe again," Trump said on social media.

The announcement came hours after Trump's previous nominee, former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew from the selection process on Thursday, after widespread opposition including from within his Republican Party over sex trafficking allegations.

"While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition," Gaetz said.