WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Pam Bondi as U.S. attorney general Tuesday evening, putting a longtime ally of Donald Trump at the helm of a Justice Department that has already been rattled by the firings of career employees seen as disloyal to the Republican president.

The Republican-led U.S. Senate confirmed Pam Bondi as the new U.S. attorney general on Tuesday, propelling one of President Donald Trump's staunchest political allies to the top perch of American law enforcement.

Ahead of the vote, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) urged his Democratic colleagues to support her.