Anderson Cooper to Pam Bondi: I’ve never seen you speak positively about LGBT people ‘until now’

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday defended her actions two years ago to fight same-sex marriage during a tense interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

Cooper questioned whether it was a “sick irony” for Bondi to say in interviews since the shootings in Orlando that anyone who attacks the gay community will be gone after to the fullest extent of the law, when she argued in court several years ago that allowing marriage equality would “impose significant public harm.” He said there are people in the gay community who think she’s a hypocrite for her actions.

Cooper asked Bondi if she saw herself as a champion of the gay community.

Bondi responded that she was defending the state constitution, as she is sworn to do.

“I’ve never said I don’t like gay people,” Bondi said. “That’s ridiculous.”

A 4-minute clip of the interview is posted on CNN.com; CNN reporter Brian Stelter also tweeted out this longer, 5 1/2-minute version:

This story was originally published June 14, 2016 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Anderson Cooper to Pam Bondi: I’ve never seen you speak positively about LGBT people ‘until now’."