'Justice must be served' - Trump calls for prosecution of his rivals
President Donald Trump has called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to more aggressively investigate his political adversaries in a post on Truth Social.
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In a post addressed to Bondi, he said that the lack of criminal charges against his top adversaries was “killing our reputation and credibility”.
“We can’t delay any longer,” said Trump. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
The president expressed frustration that “nothing is being done”, and called for the investigation of former FBI director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who oversaw his first impeachment trial.
“They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done,” Trump said on Saturday.
He posted again shortly after, praising Bondi as having done a “great job” so far.
Democratic voices have criticised the President’s outburst, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling it “the path to a dictatorship”.
“He’s turning [the justice department] into an instrument that goes after his enemies, whether they’re guilty or not,” said Schumer to CNN on Sunday.
Trump’s outburst comes a day after federal prosecutor Erik Siebert left his post over calls from the president for him to resign, citing his failure to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James over allegations of mortgage fraud.
James, a Democrat, has denied the mortgage fraud allegations as “baseless”, saying they were motivated by “revenge”.
During his election campaign, Trump promised to seek revenge against many of his perceived political enemies, including former President Joe Biden.
Eight months into his second term, Trump has since revoked the security clearances of several officials who brought the criminal hush-money case - including James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg - meaning they can no longer access classified material.
He has also fired several prosecutors who worked for special counsel Jack Smith on two criminal probes against him, and has also targeted public figures including late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel for criticising him publicly.
In a statement to NBC News, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said: "President Trump appreciates all Attorney General Bondi is doing to Make America Safe Again. The President wants justice and accountability for the many corrupt criminals and politicians who weaponized our justice system against him and his millions of patriotic supporters."