On September 20, 2025, President Donald Trump sent shockwaves through Washington and beyond with a public Truth Social post that read more like a private message to Attorney General Pam Bondi. In the post, Trump implored Bondi to take legal action against his political adversaries, specifically naming former FBI Director James Comey, Senator Adam Schiff, and New York Attorney General Letitia James. "They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done," Trump wrote, expressing deep frustration that delays were "killing our reputation and credibility." According to a Trump administration official cited by The Wall Street Journal, Trump was surprised to discover that his message had been posted publicly, reacting with a simple "Oh" before trying to shrug off the incident.
This post, which concluded with the emphatic demand, "JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!", set off a chain of events that has since become a focal point in debates over the independence of the Justice Department and the rule of law in America. The public nature of Trump’s plea, and the subsequent actions taken by the Justice Department, have raised alarms among legal experts, lawmakers, and even members of Trump’s own party.
Just weeks after Trump’s post, on October 9, 2025, Letitia James was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution. According to NBC News, this indictment came after Bondi appointed a "special attorney" to investigate mortgage fraud allegations against James and Schiff. The charges against James are particularly notable given her high-profile role in securing a nearly half-billion-dollar civil fraud judgment against Trump and his companies last year—a judgment that was overturned and is now on appeal.
James and her attorney, Abbe Lowell, have categorically denied the allegations. Lowell said on Thursday, "the case is driven by President Trump’s desire for revenge," and warned, "When a president can publicly direct charges to be filed against someone—when it was reported that career attorneys concluded none were warranted—it marks a serious attack on the rule of law." James herself described the charges as "baseless" and motivated by "political retribution."
Trump, for his part, has publicly denied any involvement in the Justice Department’s charging decisions. After Comey was indicted, Trump told reporters at the White House, "I had nothing to do with the case. I don’t call anybody. You know what? I’m allowed to do that if I wanted to do that." He went on to repeat his long-standing claims that Comey had "lied" and "got caught," referencing the former FBI director’s 2017 congressional testimony regarding leaks about the Clinton Foundation investigation.
James Comey, who pleaded not guilty this month to charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding, responded with defiance. "There are costs to standing up to Donald Trump," he said after the charges were filed, adding that he has "great confidence in the federal judicial system." Adam Schiff, another target of Trump’s ire, told NBC News on "Meet the Press," "If Republicans allow this to go on for four years, there will be nothing left of our democracy." Schiff emphasized, "He’s described me as the enemy within. He is using the Justice Department to go after his political enemies, and he’s using the Justice Department to protect his political friends. … This should concern every American, not just those he’s tweeting about like myself."
Schiff, who served as the lead impeachment manager during Trump’s first impeachment trial, has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the mortgage fraud investigation. When asked if he feared being charged next, Schiff replied, "Those of us on the president’s enemies list—and it is a long and growing list—will not be intimidated, we will not be deterred. We will do our jobs, we will stand up to this president."
The events have not gone unnoticed by Republican lawmakers. On October 10, 2025, Nebraska Congressman Don Bacon sharply criticized Trump’s public call for legal action against James before her indictment. Speaking to CNN, Bacon called Trump’s demands "unseemly" and "foolish," stating, "Presidents don’t normally do this. And to me...I think it’s foolish." He argued that Trump’s public demands undermine the perception of fair justice and could ultimately hurt his own case: "Director Comey and James here... are going to use his words against him for part of their defense during these cases. So, he’s undermined his own demands by making his demands public like that." Bacon has been a consistent critic of Trump and, notably, is not seeking reelection in 2026, making his stance less likely to be driven by political calculation.
The controversy deepened with the resignation of U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert and the swift appointment of Lindsey Halligan, who presented evidence that led to James’s indictment. According to Newsweek, former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg commented, "President Trump’s social media post directing his Attorney General to prosecute James and Comey as payback, along with the firing of Erik Siebert and the quick appointment of Lindsey Halligan, give the defense teams strong arguments for vindictive prosecution." Aronberg added, "The fact that no career prosecutor in the office apparently wanted to touch these cases, and that Trump’s brand new Acting U.S. Attorney had to go it alone, provides further evidence that this was done to settle personal scores against old foes."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, meanwhile, defended Trump’s actions, telling Newsweek last month, "President Trump appreciates all Attorney General Bondi is doing to Make America Safe Again. The president wants justice and accountability for the many corrupt criminals and politicians who weaponized our justice system against him and his millions of patriotic supporters."
The stakes for Letitia James are high. If convicted, she could face up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each count, according to the Department of Justice. James, however, remains resolute in her denial of wrongdoing, and her legal team is preparing to mount a vigorous defense based on what they argue is clear evidence of political retaliation.
Beyond the immediate legal drama, the Trump administration’s actions have sparked broader concerns about the integrity of American institutions. In a letter obtained by NBC, 42 retired judges warned that the case against Comey demonstrates "the rights and liberties of every American are in grave danger." The judges accused Trump of "corruptly" abusing his office "by directing the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to target his critics and his perceived political enemies for investigation and criminal prosecution."
The administration has also purged officials at the Justice Department and FBI, including the firing of special agents who worked with special counsel Jack Smith’s office on investigations into Trump, as reported by NBC News. These moves have only intensified criticism that the president is using the machinery of justice as a tool for personal retribution, a charge that the White House and Trump loyalists continue to deny.
As criminal proceedings against Letitia James and James Comey move forward, and as public debate rages over the boundaries between politics and justice, the nation is left grappling with fundamental questions about the balance of power, the rule of law, and the future of American democracy.
