&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump goes after his enemies, openly instructs Justice Department to take action against people that impeached him: 'JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW'")
US President Donald Trump on Saturday (Sep 19) openly pressed his Justice Department to pursue cases against his political rivals, a move that critics say further erodes the agency's independence. In a post on his social media platform, Trump called on "Pam" — apparently Attorney General Pam Bondi —demanding swift legal action against California Senator Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Both Democrats have long been thorns in Trump's side.
What did Trump say?
In his Truth Social post, Trump went on a rant against "Adam 'Shifty' Schiff, Leticia" while claiming that he fired Erik Siebert: "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."
Trump then claimed the Justice Department was dragging its feet. "We can't delay any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility," he wrote.
Who are Schiff and James?
Schiff and James are among those accused by Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and a close Trump ally, of falsifying documents on mortgage applications.
The president's pressure campaign came a day after he reportedly fired Erik Siebert, the US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Siebert had reportedly refused to pursue fraud charges against James, citing insufficient evidence. Meanwhile, in an email to staff on Friday, Siebert announced his resignation, according to The New York Times and other outlets. Trump quickly countered: "I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so."
The clash is the latest chapter in Trump's long-running battles with Schiff and James. Schiff led the first impeachment case against him in 2019, when Trump was accused of pressuring Ukraine to interfere in the election. James, as New York's attorney general, later brought a civil fraud suit that found Trump had inflated his net worth to secure better financial terms. A state court initially ordered him to pay $464 million, though an appeals court later removed the fine while keeping the judgment intact.
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Trump's fury was on full display Saturday: "They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!".
The president’s legal troubles have piled up over the years. He has been convicted of 34 felonies tied to hush money payments to a porn star. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court also upheld an $83.3 million defamation verdict in favour of writer E. Jean Carroll, whom Trump was found to have sexually assaulted. Several other cases, including probes into his handling of classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 election, were dropped after his return to office last year.
