In a dramatic escalation of political tensions in Washington, President Donald Trump over the weekend of September 21, 2025, publicly pressured Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue prosecutions against a slate of his political adversaries. The move, which has drawn fierce criticism from lawmakers, legal experts, and commentators across the political spectrum, marks a new and controversial chapter in Trump’s second term—one defined by efforts to consolidate power and reshape the U.S. justice system.
On Truth Social, Trump did not mince words. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” he wrote, referencing what he described as a lack of action on investigations involving his foes. “They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!). OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!” According to UPI, this public call to action was aimed squarely at Bondi, the attorney general whom Trump has repeatedly praised for her loyalty and effectiveness.
The president’s demands were not vague. He specifically named former FBI Director James Comey, Senator Adam Schiff, and New York Attorney General Letitia James as targets for prosecution. Each of these figures has played a prominent role in Trump’s political and legal battles: Comey oversaw the federal investigation into alleged ties between Trump’s campaign and Russian operatives—a probe that ultimately concluded there was no collusion. Schiff led the first impeachment inquiry against Trump in Congress, while James launched a civil suit against the president in 2022, accusing him of financial misconduct and inflating the value of his New York real estate holdings.
Just an hour after publicly pressuring Bondi to act, Trump shifted tone, taking to social media to declare, “Pam Bondi is doing a GREAT job as attorney general of the United States.” But the praise was accompanied by a decisive personnel move: Trump announced he was appointing Lindsey Halligan, his former lawyer and special assistant, as the new U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. This followed the abrupt resignation—under pressure—of Erik Siebert, the previous officeholder, who had reportedly determined there was insufficient evidence to prosecute James or Comey.
According to Rokna, citing The Guardian, Trump’s announcement was pointed: “Pam Bondi is doing an excellent job as attorney general of the United States. She is careful, intelligent, and patriotic, but the Eastern District of Virginia needs a strong prosecutor, like my recommendation Lindsey Halligan, to get things moving.” Halligan, a former beauty queen and member of Trump’s legal team during the high-profile Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, was tapped to replace Siebert after Trump’s administration officials expressed frustration over the lack of criminal charges filed against James.
The appointment of Halligan was not the only personnel shift in the air. Before her selection, Mary “Maggie” Cleary—a Department of Justice attorney who had previously claimed she was targeted for her conservative views under the Biden administration—was reportedly considered for the post, according to Reuters. But Halligan ultimately got the nod, with her confirmation by the U.S. Senate still pending.
Trump’s actions have sent shockwaves through the political establishment. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a frequent Trump critic, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the president is turning the Justice Department “into an instrument that goes after his enemies, whether they’re guilty or not, and most of them are not guilty at all, and that helps his friends. This is the path to a dictatorship. That’s what dictatorships do.” Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut echoed these concerns, warning on ABC’s “This Week” that the precedent being set “will come back and boomerang on conservatives and Republicans at some point if this becomes the norm.”
Not all criticism has come from the left. Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky and frequent Trump foil, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “it is not right for the Trump administration to do the same thing” as what Trump alleges happened under President Joe Biden’s Justice Department. Paul decried “lawfare in all forms,” emphasizing the dangers of politicizing the legal system.
Legal analysts and commentators have also weighed in forcefully. The New Yorker described the firing of Siebert as crossing “the reddest of red lines” in “using the criminal law to punish political opponents as retribution.” David Frum, a former aide to President George W. Bush writing in The Atlantic, argued that Trump is “gambling that he can consolidate authority before the public turns too sharply against him.”
Meanwhile, the Justice Department has remained silent, declining to comment on the weekend’s events as of September 21, 2025.
Trump’s moves come amid a broader campaign to assert control over federal agencies and the media. The Pentagon, for example, recently distributed a 17-page memo tightening restrictions on credentialed journalists, requiring them to sign pledges not to report unauthorized information, even if unclassified. Journalists risk losing their access if they violate the new policy. When asked whether the Pentagon should play a role in limiting what journalists can report, Trump replied, “No, I don’t think so. Nothing stops reporters. You know that,” as reported by The Washington Post.
Tensions over free speech have also spilled into the entertainment world. ABC’s indefinite suspension of late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel last Wednesday, following controversial remarks about the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, prompted a group of ABC-affiliated stations to refuse to air the show. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump ally, called Kimmel’s comments “truly sick” and warned that the FCC could take action against Kimmel, ABC, and Walt Disney Co. “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.”
Trump celebrated Kimmel’s suspension, posting, “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.” Yet not all Republicans were on board. Senator Ted Cruz, speaking on his podcast, called the move “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, for his part, praised Carr as “a great American patriot” and said he disagreed with Cruz.
As Trump continues to install loyalists across the justice system—former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro in the District of Columbia and Alina Habba, another former attorney, in New Jersey—the debate over the boundaries of presidential power and the independence of the judiciary has reached a fever pitch. The rapid-fire changes and public demands for action against political rivals have left many in Washington wondering where the line between justice and retribution will ultimately be drawn.
For now, the nation’s political and legal institutions are bracing for what comes next, as the balance between justice, politics, and power hangs in the balance.
