On Friday, another stunning sign of the complete White House takeover of the Justice Department arrived: President Donald Trump delivered a speech to DOJ’s staff, declaring his intent to go after “rogue actors and corrupt forces” from the previous administration, the press, and in American society, and to transform a Justice Department that, he contended, had been “weaponized” against him.
Presidential visits to DOJ headquarters are rare, and this one hit distinctly Trumpian notes, at times sounding like a campaign-trail rally. At one point, he even denounced particular individuals, naming a lawyer who worked at a non-profit good government group and describing him as “scum.” He railed against the press, and told the assembled DOJ staff that CNN and MSNBC’s coverage of his administration was, in his “opinion,” “illegal.”
The disjointed speech focused at times on crime during the “Biden regime” and the oft-invoked, false claim that the 2020 election was “rigged.” But it primarily pushed on his claims that the DOJ, in investigating him over the last decade, surrendered to both “weaponization” and “corruption.” He would now, he claimed, ensure that it would “restore fair, equal, and impartial justice under the constitutional rule of law.”
That, for Trump, meant retribution: He proceeded to lay out his plan for retaliation against some of the people who he claimed are responsible for the “lies and abuses” of the former administration’s Justice Department.
“Unfortunately, in recent years, a corrupt group of hacks and radicals within the ranks of the American government obliterated the trust and goodwill built up over generations,” he said. “They weaponized the vast powers of our intelligence and law enforcement agencies to try and thwart the will of the American people.”
He then said that he demanded “full and complete accountability for the wrongs and abuses that have occurred,” vowing to expose the “egregious” misconduct of “rogue actors” within the department.
From the start of his administration, Trump has made good on his campaign-trail vow to punish his perceived enemies — indeed, going further and moving faster than many expected, installing loyalists into various leadership positions within the department. Some of those allies have launched investigations into the DOJ’s investigations of Trump, and have forced out those who have balked at their demands.
