Donald Trump threatens opponents
with jail in Justice Department
speech
The US president took aim at journalists, judges, prosecutors and Biden officials in a speech calling for ‘accountability’.
“This is a storied hall, if there ever was one.”
That is how President Donald Trump opened his remarks to the United States Department of Justice, before he launched into a speech that denounced judges, prosecutors and members of his predecessor’s government as corrupt.
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It was an extraordinary moment that hinted at potential legal action against political rivals.
Trump went on to argue that the 2024 election had granted him a mandate to investigate those he felt had committed “abuses” under the presidency of former President Joe Biden.
“I will insist upon and demand full and complete accountability for the wrongs and abuses that have occurred,” Trump said. “ The American people have given us a mandate, and really, just a far-reaching investigation is what they are demanding into the corruption of our system.”
Critics have long feared that Trump would seek retribution against his political rivals if he returned to power.
While on the campaign trail in 2024, he repeatedly referred to Democrats as “the enemy from within”, calling them “evil” and more dangerous than the threats posed by China and Russia. He also threatened critics, like Republican Liz Cheney, with jail and said he would appoint a special prosecutor to go after Biden.
But Friday’s speech to the Justice Department was a platform for Trump to renew those threats — and continue to spread false claims that cast doubt on his defeat to Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
“I think it was the most humiliating time in the history of our country,” Trump said of Biden’s term. “What a difference a rigged and crooked election had on our country. When you think about it, the people who did this to us should go to jail. They should go to jail.”
Trump justifies department firings
Trump even took aim at prosecutors who worked in the Justice Department, particularly those who participated in criminal investigations against him.
Since taking office for a second term on January 20, the president has led a campaign against what he considers “Biden bureaucrats“, though critics point out that many are nonpartisan civil service members.
Among the thousands of federal employees terminated in the last two months were career prosecutors who participated in the two federal probes into Trump’s behaviour: one for alleged mishandling of classified documents, and the other for attempting to subvert the 2020 election.
Both cases were ultimately dropped after Trump won re-election on November 5. The Justice Department has a policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents.
But while career prosecutors are tasked with serving whichever president is in office, Trump has sought to ensure their removal.
He has also accused the Biden administration of “weaponising” the Justice Department in an effort to derail his re-election campaign.
“As we begin a proud new chapter in the chronicles of American justice, this really is something we’re turning the page on: four long years of corruption, weaponisation and surrender to violent criminals,” Trump said on Friday.
“ But first, we must be honest about the lies and abuses that have occurred within these walls. 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. They weaponised the vast powers of our intelligence and law enforcement agencies to try and thwart the will of the American people.”
Trump touted the firing of Justice Department prosecutors from the stage, describing them as “Marxist”, though he did acknowledge he may have fired some loyal public servants.
“Last month, I fired all the radical left pro-crime US attorneys appointed by Joe Biden. There were so many that were bad, and I know there were some that were probably very good. But there were so many that were so bad and so evil, so corrupt,” he said.
His speech appeared to signal more firings to come, as Trump continues his campaign against officials associated with Biden.
“We will expel the rogue actors and corrupt forces from our government. We will expose and very much expose their egregious crimes and severe misconduct of which was levels — you’ve never seen anything like it,” Trump said.
“It’s going to be legendary. It’s going to also be legendary for the people that are able to seek it out and bring justice.”
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