Anderson Cooper talks with Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday. Anderson Cooper berates Florida AG Pam Bondi over Orlando

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi went on CNN Tuesday afternoon, ostensibly to talk about the response and recovery to the deadliest shooting on American soil two days earlier. Instead, she walked into an Anderson Cooper-sized buzzsaw.

"I saw you the other day saying that anyone who attacks the LGBT community, our LGBT community, you said will be gone after to the full extent of the law," Cooper said, after a brief opening exchange about how people should beware of scam charities seeking to profit from the massacre.


"That's exactly right," the Republican attorney general responded.

Cooper, who publicly announced that he was gay in 2012, then said that he had spoken with a number of "gay and lesbian people" in Orlando "who are not fans of yours and said that they thought you were being a hypocrite, that you for years have fought – you’ve basically gone after gay people, said that in court that gay people simply by fighting for marriage equality for trying to do harm to the people of Florida. To induce public harm, I believe was the term you used in court. Do you really think you're a champion of the gay community?"

"Let me tell you. When I was sworn in as attorney general, I put my hand on the Bible and sworn to uphold the constitution of the state of Florida. That's not a law. That was voted into our state constitution by the voters of Florida. That's what I was defending. Had nothing to do — I've never said I don't like gay people," Bondi said. "That’s ridiculous."

Cooper then pressed, noting that Bondi had in 2014 argued in court that recognizing same-sex marriage would "impose significant public harm."

"Anderson, I don't believe gay people could do harm to the state of Florida," Bondi said. Cooper shot back, "But you argued that in court."

"My lawyer argued a case defending what the Supreme Court allowed the voters to put in our state constitution," Bondi said.

Asked whether she did not believe same-sex marriage would "do harm to Florida," Bondi responded, "Of course not, of course not. … I never said that. Those words never came out of my mouth.

"That's what you were arguing in court," Cooper asserted.

"You know, no. No," Bondi sighed with a note of exasperation. "What we argued was it was in the constitution of the state of Florida. Let me give you an example: Medical marijuana. A 12-year-old could get it if it passed. We took that to the Supreme Court because of that language, hold on. But if that passed, I would defend that, as well, because it's my job to defend what's in the constitution of the state of Florida. That's what it was about."

But Cooper still was not done, asking Bondi about a hotline she has been mentioning on television which allows family members and spouses of the deceased victims to get information.

"Had there been no gay marriage, no same-sex marriage, you do realize that spouses, there would be no spouses, that boyfriends and girlfriends of the dead would not be able to get information and would not be able to visit in the hospital here. Isn't there a sick irony in that?" Cooper asked.

Bondi replied, "Let me take it a step further. People aren't right now who are partners and aren't married officially aren't able to get information so we're trying to assist them in getting information. Because early on --"

Cooper interrupted, "But isn't there a sick irony [in that] you for years were fighting that very idea?"

"I was defending the constitution of what over 69 percent of the voters put in the constitution," Bondi said.

"But the courts, the federal courts said that's not the constitution and you continued to fight it," Cooper said.

Bondi reiterated multiple times that the state "rushed to get it to the [U.S.] Supreme Court," after Cooper remarked that her office "continued to fight it after the federal judge ruled and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting it."

She then took a step back, remarking, "You know what today is about? Human beings. Today's about victims."

"It’s about gay and lesbian victims," Cooper said.

"It sure is," Bondi replied. "LGBT victims."

Cooper then asked, "Is it hypocritical to portray yourself as a champion of the gay community when -- I'm just reflecting what gay people told me they don't see you as this."

"Anderson, I’m not portraying myself as anything but trying to help human beings who have lost their lives, who are behind us right now in hospital beds, who have family members who aren't getting the services they need," Bondi responded. "This morning, you know what I've been doing? Trying to fight with a funeral home for overcharging family members to bury the loved ones. I'm not championing anything other than Floridians. That’s what this is about. We are about human beings."

The CNN reporter then remarked, "I will say I have never really seen you talk about gays and lesbians and transgender people in a positive way until now. I read your Twitter history for a last year and you were tweeting about, you know, National Dog Month and National Shelter dog appreciation day or adopt a shelter dog day. It is Gay Pride Month. You never even tweeted about Gay Pride Month."

"Well actually, if you look at my website now, we have hands clasped together, all different-colored, rainbow-hands people," Bondi said.

Cooper then asked if Bondi, "going forward," now sees herself "as being a vocal champion for gay and lesbian citizens in the state."

"They are citizens just like anyone else. Of course. My goodness, Anderson, we’ve had 49 people murdered, simply because they were in a bar at the wrong time," Bondi said. "It’s horrible. I'm a career prosecutor. Those family members are devastated. These surviving victims are devastated. That's what this is about."

Cooper concluded with, "I know a lot of gay and lesbian people in the state want to feel that the people that represent them, represent everybody in the state."

"We're human beings and that's what this is about," Bondi said. "That’s what this is about."