Topline
President Donald Trump will deliver a speech at the Justice Department Friday, amid concerns his administration will infringe on the separation of powers between the executive branch and the agency—a prominent target of his ire during his first and former Joe Biden’s presidencies.
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval … [+]
Key Facts
Trump, describing his speech as “a complete gamut,” on Thursday said he will lay out the “vision” of his top law enforcement officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, and touch on “crime in the streets” and “immigration,” among other issues.
In another controversial move, it dropped the federal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, leading critics to speculate whether the move was intended to create a quid pro quo with the mayor in exchange for his support of Trump’s immigration policies and prompting the resignations of multiple federal prosecutors.
When Will Trump Deliver The Speech?
The speech is slated for 3 p.m. at the DOJ headquarters in Washington.
Surprising Fact
Past presidents have made appearances at the agency, but rarely given speeches. President Barack Obama delivered an address in 2014 on a new policy directive related to intelligence-collection. Obama also visited the agency’s headquarters for former Attorney General Eric Holder’s departure ceremony in February 2015, and President George W. Bush attended a ceremony there in 2001 marking the renaming of the building in honor of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Tangent
Bondi and Patel are both Trump loyalists who refused to say during their Senate confirmation hearings that Biden won the 2020 election. Prior to becoming FBI director, Patel vowed in previous statements to retaliate against Trump’s enemies and has called for a “comprehensive housecleaning” at federal law enforcement agencies. Two Republican senators voted against his confirmation, citing his political activities. Trump appointed Bondi to replace his initial nominee, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., after new allegations of sexual misconduct against Gaetz surfaced. Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, said during her confirmation hearing she would remove “partisanship” and “weaponization” from the agency during her Senate confirmation hearings, echoing Trump, though she also vowed not to carry out politically motivated prosecutions.
Key Background
Trump has had a rocky relationship with the federal government’s chief law enforcement agency, dating back to his first term, when he feuded with agency leaders over former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and repeatedly tried to block the probe, according to Mueller’s own account. Trump’s relationships with both of his attorneys general during his first term grew hostile: he fired Jeff Sessions after he recused himself from the Russia probe and William Barr resigned after refusing to support Trump’s claims he was the true winner of the 2020 election. After leaving office, Trump’s claims that the agency was unfairly prosecuting him for allegedly mishandling classified documents and interfering in the 2020 election became the bedrock of his re-election campaign messaging. Both cases were dropped after Trump was elected in line with a longstanding DOJ policy not to prosecute sitting presidents.
Further Reading
Pam Bondi: What To Know About Trump’s AG Pick Facing Senate Confirmation Hearing Today (Forbes)
Senate Confirms Kash Patel With 2 Republicans Opposing—What To Know About Trump’s New FBI Director (Forbes)
Trump Names Conservative Talk Show Host Dan Bongino As Deputy FBI Director (Forbes)
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