Trump escalates push for investigations of opponents, widening dispute over DOJ role

Eight months into his second term, President Donald Trump's push to pursue legal cases against political opponents has intensified, drawing fresh scrutiny of the Justice Department, free-speech norms and the role of the presidency in political prosecutions. In messages posted on social media over the weekend, Trump urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to act, saying 'nothing is being done' on investigations into some of his foes and that 'JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!'\n\nThe posts, described by Trump as a review of more than 30 statements and posts criticizing his administration for inaction, also floated a mortgage-fraud probe into New York Attorney General Letitia James and a possible 'threat' case against former FBI Director James Comey. He later wrote that Bondi was 'doing a GREAT job' and, when speaking to reporters at the White House, urged that action come quickly: 'We have to act fast — one way or the other.'\n\n\nReaction quickly followed from lawmakers and observers. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told NBC's Meet the Press that it is 'not right for the Trump administration to do the same thing' and cautioned against using the presidency to direct prosecutions of opponents. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., called it 'unconstitutional and deeply immoral' for a president to jail or silence political enemies, warning it could set a dangerous precedent. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump is turning the DOJ into an instrument that pursues his enemies, which he called 'the path to a dictatorship.' A Justice Department spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.\n\nTrump has continued to fill his second term with loyalists in key roles as he seeks to reshape enforcement. On Saturday he nominated Lindsey Halligan to be the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, a day after Erik Siebert resigned from the post. Trump said he was bothered that Siebert had been supported by the state's two Democratic senators. 'There are just two standards of justice now in this country. If you are a friend of the president, a loyalist of the president, you can get away with nearly anything, including beating the hell out of police officers,' Murphy said, referencing Jan. 6 defendants pardoned by Trump as he returned to office. 'But if you are an opponent of the president, you may find yourself in jail.'\n\nTrump has styled himself as an opponent of censorship, pledging in his January inaugural address to 'bring free speech back to America' and signing an executive order that no federal officer, employee or agent may unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen. Under a 17-page memo distributed Friday, the Pentagon stepped up restrictions on the media, saying it will require credentialed journalists to sign a pledge to refrain from reporting information that has not been authorized for release, including unclassified information. Journalists who don’t abide by the policy risk losing credentials that provide access to the Pentagon. Asked Sunday if the Pentagon should play a role in determining what journalists can report, Trump said, 'No, I don’t think so.' 'Nothing stops reporters. You know that,' Trump told reporters as he left the White House for Charlie Kirk’s memorial service.\n\nTrump has sued numerous media organizations for negative coverage, with several settling with the president for millions of dollars. A federal judge in Florida tossed out Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times on Friday. Perhaps the most headline-grabbing situation involves ABC's indefinite suspension Wednesday of veteran comic Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show. What he said about Kirk’s killing had led a group of ABC-affiliated stations to say it would not air the show and provoked some comments from a top federal regulator. Trump celebrated on his social media site: 'Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.' Earlier in the day, the Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, who has launched investigations of outlets that have angered Trump, said Kimmel’s comments were 'truly sick' and that his agency has a strong case for holding Kimmel, ABC and network parent Walt Disney Co. accountable for spreading misinformation. 'We can do this the easy way or the hard way,' Carr said. 'These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.' Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., argued that Kimmel's ouster wasn't a chilling of free speech but a corporate decision. 'I really don’t believe ABC would have decided to fire Jimmy Kimmel over a threat,' he said Sunday on CNN. 'ABC has been a longstanding critic of President Trump. They did it because they felt like it didn’t meet their brand anymore.' Not all Republicans have applauded the move. On his podcast Friday, GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called it 'unbelievably dangerous for government to put itself in the position of saying we’re going to decide what speech we like and what we don’t, and we’re going to threaten to take you off air if we don’t like what you’re saying.' Trump called Carr 'a great American patriot' and said Friday that he disagreed with Cruz.