President Donald Trump on Saturday publicly called on his Justice Department to pursue charges against his political opponents, a move critics say further erodes the agency’s tradition of independence.
In a social media post directed at “Pam” — apparently Attorney General Pam Bondi — Trump expressed frustration over the lack of legal action against Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Both Schiff and James have been accused by Trump ally Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, of falsifying mortgage application documents, Agence France-Presse reported on Sunday.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social page:
Pam: 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.” Then we almost put in a Democrat supported U.S. Attorney, in Virginia, with a really bad Republican past. A Woke RINO, who was never going to do his job. That’s why two of the worst Dem Senators PUSHED him so hard. He even lied to the media and said he quit, and that we had no case. No, I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so. Lindsey Halligan is a really good lawyer, and likes you, a lot. We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!
In a separate post, Trump went on to praise Bondi while mentioning his nomination of Halligan once more:
Pam Bondi is doing a GREAT job as Attorney General of the United States. 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. What we don’t need is a Democrat Endorsed “Republican.” I will be nominating Lindsey Halligan to be the United States Attorney in this very important part of our Great Country. She will be Fair, Smart, and will provide, desperately needed, JUSTICE FOR ALL!
On Friday, Trump said he dismissed the federal prosecutor overseeing the investigation into James after the attorney reportedly concluded there was not enough evidence to bring mortgage fraud charges.
U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert of the Eastern District of Virginia announced his resignation in an email to staff the same day, according to The New York Times and other outlets.
“I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so,” Trump said Saturday, apparently referencing the probe into James.
During Trump’s first term, Schiff led the House impeachment case against him over allegations he pressured Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election. Trump was acquitted by the Senate, as he was again in 2021 after being impeached for “incitement of insurrection” following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
After Trump left office, James pursued a civil fraud case accusing him of inflating his wealth and manipulating property values to secure favorable loans and insurance terms. A state judge ordered Trump to pay $464 million, though an appeals court later lifted the financial penalty while upholding the judgment.
Two weeks ago, Bondi said that the “weaponization” of the Justice Department and other government agencies against Americans has ended under Trump.
Bondi told Fox News host Sean Hannity that the Biden administration’s attempts to charge and jail Trump amounted to “the ultimate weaponization” of the federal government.
“We are investigating so many things, Sean, at the Department of Justice. And, that was the ultimate weaponization, what they did to President Trump, what they did to his family,” she said. “No longer.”