Trump reclaims a Justice Department reshaped in his wake
In a winding speech given from the Department of Justice — a place not typically frequented by sitting presidents — President Trump blasted former officials and lawyers who investigated him, saying they turned the department into one of “injustice.”
The remarks were billed as an address on law and order by the White House. Trump did announce a new advertising campaign to curb fentanyl use. But he spent the majority of his time on stage going after the “hacks and radicals” in the U.S. government who he said eroded trust.
“They weaponized the vast powers of our intelligence agencies to try and thwart the will of the American people,” Trump said.
Trump called out former Attorney General Merrick Garland, Marc Elias, a lawyer who worked against Trump’s legal efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and Mark Pomerantz, a lawyer who investigated Trump’s business practices, calling them “really bad people.”
The president faced federal charges after he left office in 2021, including for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost — though the Justice Department dropped that case when Trump won reelection in November.
Trump’s speech Friday comes as his administration has spent the last several weeks trying to reconfigure the Justice Department, including demoting attorneys who worked on cases related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and firing officials who investigated the president himself.
“We’re turning the page on four long years of corruption, weaponization and surrender to violent criminals, and we’re restoring fair, equal and impartial justice under the constitutional rule of law,” Trump said to dozens of people gathered at the DOJ, including his Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.
Hands-off approach
Presidents typically have a more hands-off approach to the DOJ, in an effort to preserve the independence of the rule of law.
Trump was the first president to come to the Justice Department in person since President Barack Obama, who was there twice — once to talk about changes his administration was making to surveillance programs.
But Trump hasn’t hesitated to talk about the Justice Department, and it came up repeatedly on the campaign trail as he railed against the federal charges against him; Trump said he would use the DOJ to go after people he sees as disloyal.
In his speech on Friday, Trump boasted that his administration stripped security clearances from others who have investigated him, including Special Counsel Jack Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump has also revoked security clearance and intelligence briefings for former President Joe Biden.
Trump also went after the press, and said coverage of Judge Aileen Cannon should have been “illegal.” Cannon, appointed by Trump, threw out the federal case that accused Trump of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
“The case against me was bull**** and she correctly dismissed it,” Trump said.
Trump said he has appointed “patriotic tough on crime warriors” to the DOJ. He said he would revive the 1033 program, which gives excess military equipment to state and local law enforcement.
Trump also said he will launch an anti-drug advertising campaign that shows the effects of fentanyl on the body.
“Everyone’s vain. They don’t want to lose their look. The look is so important. And I think when they see these things, they may say, you know what, I’m going to take a pass,” he said.
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