Trump is pressuring the Justice Department to take action against political rivals
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US President Donald Trump has called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to conduct more aggressive investigations into his political rivals. In a social media post on Saturday (September 20), he wrote: "We can't wait any longer. This is destroying our reputation and credibility," the British media outlet BBC reported.
Trump called on Bondi to launch investigations into former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff. He fumed, saying, "Nothing is being done
Adam Schiff, who oversaw Trump's first impeachment trial, posted another post shortly after. In that post, Trump praised Bondi, saying, "He (Bondi) is doing a great job."
Trump said he has reviewed over 30 statements and posts. Same story, just rhetoric, no action. Nothing is being done. Comey, Adam 'Shifty' Schiff, Leticia—what about them??? They are all very guilty, but nothing is being done.
Democrats have strongly criticized Trump's remarks, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying, "This is the beginning of a path to dictatorship
The Justice Department has always been a very strong civil service, regardless of whether Democrats or Republicans are in power. They have taken action against lawbreakers without fear or favor," he told CNN.
He added, “I think Pam Bondi will go down as one of the best attorney generals of the era.”
Trump's post came a day after he fired federal prosecutor Eric Siebert, who Trump said had failed to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James on mortgage fraud charges.
The New York Times reported that Siebert told top Justice Department officials that their investigation did not find enough evidence to charge James.
Letitia James won a civil fraud case against Trump in 2023. She denied the mortgage fraud allegations, calling them "baseless" and "vindictive."
Trump has already nominated Bondi to replace Siebert.
Since the 1970s, the Judiciary has tried to keep itself independent of presidential influence.
But Trump challenged that tradition. In his first term, he fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions because he recused himself from the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The second Attorney General, William Barr, resigned because he opposed Trump's false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
During his second-term election campaign, Trump promised to take revenge against his political enemies—including former President Joe Biden and those who opposed him.
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