Trump presses Bondi to take legal action against his foes

Trump presses Bondi to take legal action against his foes
Source: The Hill

President Trump in a Truth Social post on Saturday demanded that Attorney General Pam Bondi take action against his foes, saying there could be no delay.

In the post, Trump listed Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), New York Attorney General Letitia James, and former FBI Director James Comey while complaining that "nothing is being done."

"They're all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done," Trump wrote.

He concluded the post by saying that "we can't delay any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility" and complaining that "they impeached me twice" and indicted me five times.

Asked about the post a short time later as he left the White House for an event, Trump added "they have to act. We want to act fast."

"You know, they were ruthless and vicious," he added, again mentioning the two impeachment and multiple indictments.

"If they are guilty or if they should be judged, they should be judged and we have to do it now," he said.

Trump's remarks pressuring the Department of Justice to take legal actions against those he sees as his political foes is a sharp shift from traditional boundaries between the White House and Department of Justice meant to prevent DOJ from becoming a legal, political arm of the president.

The comments underscore Trump's frustrations in his second term with his long-time critics and come as the administration has signaled it has an interest in silencing voices with which it disagrees.

ABC indefinitely suspended late-night host Jimmy Kimmel days ago after pressure from the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, and the Trump administration has signaled a crackdown on liberal groups with which it disagrees.

Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy pushed out the leader of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Trump ended the week threatening to fire a Virginia states attorney over his frustration with the lack of a prosecution against James.

Erik Siebert, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, resigned on Friday amid pressure from the Trump administration to launch an investigation into James for alleged mortgage fraud.

Trump in Saturday's Truth Social post underlined his frustration with Siebert, describing him as a "woke RINO," for Republican in Name Only. Trump also insisted he fired Siebert and that he did not quit.

Siebert had recently told senior Justice Department officials that his office found insufficient evidence to charge James, according to The New York Times. Trump's pressure for Siebert to leave his position came amid his frustration with that case.