On September 20, President Donald Trump appeared to publicly pressure his attorney general to take legal action against several of his political opponents in a series of social media posts.
“We can’t delay any longer; it’s harming our reputation and credibility,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
The president nominated former FBI Director James Comey, Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, and New York Attorney General Letitia James for the position. He stated that he had reviewed dozens of statements about current and former officials and that “nothing is being done” regarding them.
The president has been extremely critical of Comey, Schiff, and James for years, dating back to his first term in office.
Comey led the investigation into alleged ties between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, which revealed no collusion. The president fired Comey in May 2017. Schiff, one of Trump’s most outspoken critics, led the first impeachment attempt against the president for his communications with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
James is suing the Trump administration for cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services and executive actions on elections that she claims are unconstitutional. She obtained a half-billion-dollar civil fraud judgment against Trump last year, but the penalty was later overturned by an appellate court.
The Department of Justice is investigating James and Schiff for mortgage fraud. Both have denied any wrongdoing and characterized the investigations as personal or politically motivated.
On September 20, Trump also announced that he is nominating Lindsey Halligan, a senior White House aide, to serve as US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
She will take over for Erik Siebert, the attorney who oversaw James’ criminal mortgage fraud investigation before leaving on September 19. His decision came after Trump demanded that he be fired, according to the New York Times, Washington Post, and other outlets.
“He didn’t quit, I fired him!” Trump said of Siebert on Truth Social, adding that he removed his name due to “UNUSUALLY STRONG support” from the state’s Democratic senators.
Siebert reportedly informed the Department of Justice that there was insufficient evidence to press charges against James, and he also expressed concerns about a separate case against Comey.
Siebert’s office was also involved in a criminal investigation of the former FBI director in connection with the agency’s investigations into Russian election interference.
On September 21, Trump addressed his attorney general again and praised Halligan, saying she will provide “desperately needed” justice to all.
“Pam Bondi is doing a GREAT job as Attorney General of the United States,” tweeted President Trump. “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.”
