Trump urges justice department to prosecute political opponents

President Donald Trump has called on the country’s top law enforcement official, Attorney General Pam Bondi, to more aggressively investigate his political adversaries.

In a social media post addressed directly to Bondi, he said: “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility.”

Trump expressed frustration that “nothing is being done”, before calling on Bondi to investigate former FBI director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who oversaw his first impeachment trial.

Shortly after, he posted again to praise Bondi who he said was “doing a great job”.

“I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, “same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam “Shifty” Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done,” Trump said on Saturday.

His statement was roundly criticised by Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer who said “this is the path to a dictatorship”.

“The justice department has always been a very, very strong civil service, no matter who was in charge, a Democrat or Republican. They went after law violators without fear or favour,” he told CNN on Sunday.

“He’s turning it into an instrument that goes after his enemies, whether they’re guilty or not,” he said of the president.

Asked about his comments on Sunday, Trump said: “They have to act. They have to act fast.”

“I think Pam Bondi is going to go down as one of the best attorney generals of the ages,” he said.

The president’s post came a day after federal prosecutor Erik Siebert left his post after Trump said he wanted him to resign for failing to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James over allegations of mortgage fraud.

The New York Times reported that Siebert had told senior justice department officials their investigations had not unearthed enough evidence to prosecute James.

James, a Democrat who won a civil fraud lawsuit against Trump in 2023, has denied the mortgage fraud allegations as “baseless” and motivated by “revenge”.

On Saturday, Trump said Siebert had been fired and did not quit.”I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so,” he said.

Trump also praised Bondi and said he had nominated a replacement for Siebert.

“She is very careful, very smart, loves our Country, but needs a tough prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, like my recommendation, Lindsey Halligan, to get things moving,” he said.

Since the 1970s, the justice department has sought to position itself as mostly independent from the president.

But Trump tested that norm. During his first term, he fired one attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for recusing himself from an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The second, William Barr, resigned after pushing back against Trump’s false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

During his election campaign, Trump promised to seek revenge against many of his perceived political enemies – including former President Joe Biden – and others who have opposed him.

He has revoked the security clearances – which allows people to access classified material – of several officials, including James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the criminal hush-money case,

He has fired several prosecutors who worked for special counsel Jack Smith on two criminal probes against him. He has also taken actions against law firms with attorneys who were involved in investigations into allegations against him, including the firm that employed former special counsel Robert Mueller.