President Donald Trump publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue criminal charges against several political figures, expressing frustration with what he called delays in the Justice Department's investigations.
Trump Criticizes Justice Department For Delayed Action
On Saturday, Trump criticized Bondi for not taking action against figures including former FBI Director James Comey, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
In a social media post on Saturday, he wrote, "Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, ';same old story as last time, all talk, no action…They're all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.'"
Trump Pushes For Aggressive Prosecutors
Trump also expressed impatience with the legal process, telling reporters later, "I just want people to act. And we want to act fast…If they're not guilty, that's fine. If they are guilty, or if they should be charged, they should be charged, and we have to do it now," as reported by CNN.
He criticized former U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert, who resigned after facing pressure to charge James with mortgage fraud, and suggested appointing his lawyer, Lindsey Halligan, to replace him in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Despite his criticism, Trump praised Bondi, describing her as "very careful, very smart, loves our country," while noting the need for a tougher prosecutor to accelerate action.
Mary "Maggie" Cleary has been named acting top federal prosecutor in the district.
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Trump Accused Of Political Retaliation
James's attorney, Abbe Lowell, condemned the actions as political retaliation, saying that the President had a pattern of firing officials until he found someone willing to bend the law for personal revenge, which he called illegal.
The controversy arose amid criticism of Trump for targeting political opponents, including ongoing investigations into Schiff and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.
Cook resisted Trump's efforts to remove her after records showed one of her properties had been listed as a vacation home, challenging allegations of mortgage fraud.
James, a frequent Trump target, had previously clashed with him while leading a civil fraud case in New York, which concluded that Trump and his family had inflated property values for favorable loans.
Although a $500 million penalty was overturned on appeal, the court upheld the fraud findings. Siebert's resignation left the Eastern District of Virginia without a confirmed leader, as he and his deputy returned to standard prosecutor roles.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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