WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump publicly urged his Justice Department on Saturday (Sep 20) to take action against his enemies, the latest in a series of moves that critics say have shattered the agency’s traditional independence.
In a social media post addressing “Pam” – apparently Attorney General Pam Bondi – Trump fumed over the lack of legal action against California Senator Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both Democrats.
Schiff and James are among a handful of people who have been accused by a close Trump ally, Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte, of falsifying documents on mortgage applications.
“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” Trump said.
On Friday, Trump fired the federal prosecutor who was overseeing the probe into James, after the attorney reportedly insisted there was insufficient evidence to charge her with mortgage fraud.
Erik Siebert, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, told staff of his resignation via an email on Friday, the New York Times and other US media outlets reported.
“I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so,” Trump said Saturday, apparently referencing the probe into James.
Schiff and James have separately clashed with Trump in prior years, leading investigations that the Republican president alleges were political witch hunts.
Late on Saturday, Trump said he had appointed White House aide Lindsey Halligan, who has been leading a review of the Smithsonian Institution’s content for “divisive or partisan narratives”, to fill Siebert’s position.
The US president described Halligan as a “tough, smart, and loyal attorney”.
