White House admits Trump’s message to Bondi to prosecute enemies was supposed to be a DM: report
Trump’s erratic message to his Attorney General wasn’t meant to be public
- A Truth Social post by Donald Trump, reportedly intended as a private message to Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to The Wall Street Journal, had publicly demanded the prosecution of James Comey and other perceived political enemies.
- Trump’s alleged surprise at the post’s public nature and his subsequent follow-up praising Bondi provided a glimpse into a radically reshaped Department of Justice.
- Five days after Trump’s post, Comey was indicted on charges of lying to Congress and obstruction, to which he pleaded not guilty, with his legal team expected to challenge the case as ‘vindictive prosecution’.
- Trump had removed U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert for not pursuing cases against Comey and others, and later nominated his personal attorney, Lindsey Halligan, who lacks prosecutorial experience, to a position.
- Halligan controversially presented the case against Comey to a grand jury, leading to an indictment on two counts, despite earlier internal prosecutorial advice against pursuing the case.