The developments marked a dramatic escalation of the president’s extraordinary use of the levers of presidential power to target his political rivals and his efforts to pressure the Justice Department to pursue investigations — and now prosecutions — of those he disdains. It’s a campaign that began soon after Trump returned to office and one that critics see as an abuse of power that puts every American who dares to criticize the president at risk of retaliation.
“This kind of interference is a dangerous abuse of power,” Warner said. “Our system depends on prosecutors making decisions based on evidence and the law, not on the personal grudges of a politician determined to settle scores.”
Thursday’s moves were the latest in a concerted effort by Trump to wield the vast powers of his office in unparalleled ways to punish his enemies since returning to the Oval Office in January. During his campaign, Trump made clear this was his intention if he returned to office.
“In 2016, I declared: I am your voice,” he said in 2023. “Today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”
The Thursday memo went further, targeting liberal-leaning groups and donors, and “represents a significant abuse of power where the government is either changing the law or bending definitions to try and investigate and punish their political opponents in a way that is really unprecedented,” said Caitlin Legacki, of Americans Against Government Censorship, which was founded to fight the Trump administration’s weaponization of the federal government against its political rivals.
As for Comey, she said, “It reeks of selective prosecution, it reeks of vindictive targeting and calls into question the integrity of many of the charges being brought by the office.”
Trump, meanwhile, denied Friday that he’s on a campaign of retribution.
“It’s about justice, really. It’s not revenge, it’s about justice. It’s also about the fact that you can’t let this go on,” he told reporters. “They are sick, radical left people and they can’t get away with it.”
Asked who is next on his list, he responded: “It’s not a list, but I think there’ll be others.”
“Monaco’s having that kind of access is unacceptable, and cannot be allowed to stand,” he wrote. Trump previously stripped her of her security clearance, along with numerous others.
“I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative,” Trump crowed.
The indictment was the culmination of a pressure campaign that burst into public view over the weekend when Trump aired his frustrations with Bondi on his social media site and demanded she move forward with charges against Comey, James and Schiff.
The charges against Comey came even as prosecutors in the office had written a memo detailing concerns about the pursuit of an indictment and their likelihood of success at trial.
The former FBI director said in a video he’s innocent but knew “standing up to Donald Trump” would come with costs.
“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I am innocent,” Comey said.
