In front of the news cameras and in the wake of Sunday's horrific events at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, unlike her boss, Governor Rick Scott, acknowledged that the attack that killed nearly 50 people specifically targeted the LGBT community.
"Today is a tragic day and we are making it very clear, anyone who attacks our LGBT community, anyone who attacks anyone in the state, will be gone after to the fullest extent of the law," she said.
But those familiar with LGBT Floridians' struggle for equality in the state know a different AG Bondi, one that fought tooth and nail to limit the right of gays, lesbians and bisexuals to marry the person they love.
Turns out, CNN host Anderson Cooper also knows about that AG Bondi, and on Tuesday directly confronted her about it.
"I talked to a lot of gays and lesbians here who are not fans of yours," Cooper said. "They said that you were being a hypocrite, that you for years have fought, you've basically gone after people, said, in court, that gay people, simply by fighting for marriage equality, are trying to do harm to the people of Florida... Do you think you're really a champion of the gay community?"
Bondi defended her past actions against gays by claiming she was merely defending the Constitution, given that Florida voters had approved a State Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in 2008.
"When I was sworn in as attorney general, I put my hand on the Bible and swore to protect the State Constitution," she said. "That's not a law, that was voted into our State Constitution by the voters of Florida. That's what I was defending... I never said I don't like gay people. That's ridiculous."
Anderson pushed back back, asking her, why then, did she argue in court that gay marriage would "do harm" within the state?
Again, she said, she was defending the language of the amendment, which was approved by the Florida Supreme Court.
Cooper also pointed out that if same-sex marriage wasn't legal, same-sex spouses of victims would not have been able to access a hotline Bondi had publicized to get information about their husbands and wives.
"Isn't there a sick irony in that?" he said.
"Well, let me take it a step farther," Bondi said. "People right now who are partners, who aren't married, aren't able to get information, officially. So we're trying to assist them in getting information..."
Cooper repeated his question.
"But isn't it a sick irony that you for years were fighting that very idea?"
Nope, said Bondi.
"I was defending the Constitution, what over 69 percent of the voters put into the Constitution," she said.
Um, yeah, an amendment Bondi fiercely fought to keep on the books even after a federal judge deemed it unconstitutional (as the U.S. Supreme Court did for the entire country months later). Bondi has maintained that she spent all that taxpayer money fighting gay marriage for "consistency."
"You know what today's about? It's about humans," Bondi said. "It's about victims. LGBT victims..."
So, no, apparently she didn't see the irony in all of this
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