Donald Trump’s recent legal strategy under newly appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi involves investigating those pursuing cases against him, including special counsel Jack Smith. Bondi’s task force will scrutinize allegations of political bias in legal actions against Trump, including business fraud and election interference. Additionally, she plans to review the treatment of Trump supporters involved in the January 6 Capitol riots. This approach signifies a significant shift in the Justice Department’s direction, raising concerns about its independence.
Trump’s Legal Battles: A New Era Under Pam Bondi
Political adversaries of Donald Trump have long expressed concerns about a potential legal crusade if he were to reclaim the presidency. Recent developments confirm their apprehensions. Trump’s newly appointed Attorney General, Pam Bondi, made headlines in a 2023 interview by indicating her intention to pursue those investigating Trump’s alleged involvement in the Capitol riot. Although she promised not to politicize the Justice Department during her Senate confirmation hearing, she wasted no time in establishing a task force aimed at scrutinizing what she termed “politicized justice” under President Joe Biden.
Investigations Targeting Trump’s Accusers
Bondi’s task force has been charged with examining the work of special counsel Jack Smith, who has initiated legal proceedings against Trump concerning his attempts to overturn the election results and his handling of classified documents. After leaving the White House in 2021, Trump reportedly took a significant number of classified documents to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. His refusal to return these documents led to an FBI search in August 2022, which Bondi labeled a “precedent-setting raid.”
Additionally, Bondi plans to investigate whether District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Attorney General Letitia James from New York collaborated with the Biden administration in their legal actions against Trump. These cases revolve around allegations of business fraud, hush money payments, and election interference, with Trump being found guilty in the initial case. He has consistently described these accusations as a political “witch hunt” orchestrated by the Biden administration.
Furthermore, Bondi intends to examine allegations of “improper investigative methods and unethical prosecutions” targeting Trump supporters who participated in the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021. After assuming office, President Trump issued pardons or commuted sentences for over 1,500 convicted rioters.
In a move indicative of the administration’s aggressive stance, the Trump team had already begun reshuffling senior officials within the Justice Department prior to Bondi’s swearing-in, including those associated with special counsel Smith. The FBI, under the Justice Department’s jurisdiction, also experienced initial purges. Trump appointed one of his personal lawyers, Emil Bove, as the acting Deputy Attorney General, who has been vocal in requesting the names of FBI agents involved in the Capitol riot investigations.
Despite resistance from acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll, Bove demanded a written roster of all investigators involved. Following this, thousands of FBI agents received a questionnaire regarding their roles in the investigations. Bove also initiated the termination of seven senior FBI officials to align the agency’s operations with President Trump’s directives.
On Monday, Driscoll eventually provided a list of approximately 5,000 FBI employees to the Justice Department, but these individuals were identified solely by their service numbers and titles. Concerns have arisen among those involved in the Capitol riot investigations, who have filed lawsuits to prevent the release of their names, fearing for their safety amid calls for retaliation from pardoned rioters and organizers. Notably, Driscoll was directly involved in the arrest of Capitol rioter Samuel Fisher, who was found with significant quantities of ammunition and weapons in New York in 2021.
While the Trump administration may struggle to dismiss a substantial portion of the FBI’s 38,000 agents, Bove has stated that only those acting with “corrupt and partisan intent” should be concerned about their positions. Nonetheless, this situation has raised alarms among Democrats. On Thursday, the Republican majority in the Judiciary Committee aimed to expedite the nomination of Kash Patel as FBI Director, but Democratic senators successfully postponed the vote for a week.
Despite this delay, Patel is expected to be confirmed, as he shares the belief that the FBI and Justice Department have been weaponized for political purposes by Democrats. This sentiment resonates with a considerable faction within the Republican Party, advocating for a significant overhaul of federal law enforcement and the removal of its current leadership.
The Watergate scandal of the 1970s established a precedent in the U.S. for the Justice Department to function independently of the White House in prosecutorial matters, emphasizing accountability to the Constitution over the President. However, Trump’s appointment of extremely loyal confidants to lead the Justice Department threatens this long-standing tradition. During Bondi’s swearing-in ceremony, Trump remarked, “I know I should now say: ‘She will be totally impartial regarding the Democrats.'” He followed up with, “I think she will be as impartial as a human can be.”