President Trump and his appointees have said more charges against political opponents are planned. Here are some of the targets he has already suggested.
Former FBI Director James Comey reacts to his indictment
Former FBI Director James Comey responded to his indictment by the Trump administration via Instagram, urging voters to stay engaged.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton became the third prominent Trump critic to face criminal charges on Oct. 16 after the president repeatedly attacked him in public. All three have maintained their innocence and plan to fight the charges.
The day before, President Trump spoke at a press conference at the White House, where Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, and FBI Director Kash Patel stood next to him smiling and recited the names of other people being “investigated.”
“I hope you’re looking at all of them,” Trump said of former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, former Justice Department senior prosecutor Andrew Wiseman and California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff. “And I’m allowed to know that. I’m allowed, you know, I’m technically the chief law enforcement officer.”
The president’s intervention represents a major breach of the once-strong firewall between the White House and the Justice Department.
Former President Bill Clinton sparked a scandal in 2016 by simply having a mundane conversation with Loretta Lynch, President Barack Obama’s attorney general, at a Phoenix airport. At the time, the Justice Department was investigating Clinton’s wife, Hillary, for using a private email server while she was secretary of state.
Its recent history seems strange today. President Trump’s appointees have indicated that more indictments against the president’s personal and political opponents are coming.
“The indictments we’ve seen so far and the indictments we’ll see in the near future are just the beginning,” Patel said in an interview with conservative site Real America’s Voice hours after Trump’s news conference.
Trump himself told reporters on September 26 that he expected more charges against people who investigated or criticized him.
Asked who else he would target for “retaliation,” Trump said, “I’m sure there will be others.” Here’s a partial summary of who else President Trump has on his list of political targets and why.
has already been indicted
john bolton – Former National Security Adviser to President Trump
Bolton’s Oct. 16 indictment came after federal law enforcement said in a court filing that it obtained documents labeled “confidential,” “confidential,” and “confidential” during a raid on Bolton’s office in August.
For years before that, Trump had repeatedly called for investigations and prosecutions.
After the FBI raided Bolton’s home in August, Trump said of Bolton: “He’s had a really bad life.”
Bolton’s lawyer previously told USA TODAY that many of the references in a review of Bolton’s 2020 book, “The Secret Room: A White House Memoir,” were “pre-approved,” and that the criticisms of Bolton infuriated President Trump.
James Comey – former FBI director
Comey was indicted on Sept. 25 on charges of lying to Congress and obstruction of Congress, days after President Trump told Bondi the statute of limitations was running out.
The charges come after months of pressure from President Trump and after he replaced the U.S. attorney who reportedly refused to pursue the case with a political ally from the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria, Virginia.
Mr. Comey maintains his innocence and plans to seek dismissal of the case, citing vindictive and selective prosecution and other issues.
Letitia James — New York State Attorney General
James was indicted on Oct. 9 on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, just weeks after President Trump publicly called for charges.
James’ office filed a civil lawsuit against Trump in 2022, accusing him of fraudulently inflating the value of assets over a period of years to obtain better loan deals. Since then, Trump has begun accusing her of wrongdoing.
Next on President Trump’s hit list:
jack smith, Former Special Prosecutor of the Department of Justice
Smith has long been a target of Trump after leading two criminal investigations against him for his alleged mishandling of classified government records and his alleged role in inciting violence during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“In my opinion, deranged Jack Smith is a criminal,” Trump told reporters at a White House event on Oct. 15, with Bondi, Branch and Patel standing next to him.
Andrew Wiseman, former senior prosecutor at the Department of Justice
Wiseman was the lead prosecutor in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. He interviewed Mr. Smith at an event in London on October 8, and Mr. Smith said his investigation into Mr. Trump was code-based and not political.
President Trump said Wednesday: “The interviewer was Wiseman. I hope they investigate Wiseman as well, but Wiseman is a bad guy.” “And he had a person named Lisa who was his puppet and was really at the top working in the office. I think she should be seen as very strong.”
Mr. Trump was likely referring to Lisa Monaco, President Joe Biden’s deputy attorney general, who he previously accused of misconduct along with Mr. Wiseman and Mr. Smith.
“Deranged Jack Smith, Andrew Wiseman, Lisa Monaco…and the rest of the radical leftist fanatics and thugs who have worked illegally for years to ‘bring me down’ will all be in psychiatric hospitals before the end of my term as President-elect because they are suffering from a horrible disease called Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS!),” Trump wrote in a Nov. 13 article. His Truth Social social media posting platform in 2023.
Lisa Monaco, former Deputy Attorney General
As deputy attorney general, Monaco traditionally runs the large Justice Department and oversees the operations of federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. President Trump has also criticized her for her involvement in the Justice Department investigation and recently called on Microsoft to fire her as president of international affairs.
Senator Adam Schiff, Democratic Party california
After leading the initial impeachment effort during Schiff’s first term as a member of the House of Representatives, President Trump criticized Schiff, calling him a “weirdo” and a “fraud” who should be arrested for treason.
“I’m keeping an eye on Pam because I hope something is done about this,” Trump said of the attorney general in August. “This was a hoax created by the Democratic Party, especially Schiff, crooked Hillary, and the whole group.”
Trump has also repeatedly accused Schiff, who has denied any wrongdoing, of fabricating lies about him and Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The Justice Department is investigating Mr. Schiff on suspicion of mortgage fraud, which Mr. Schiff denies. To that end, Mr. Schiff established a legal defense fund in August.
Christopher Wray, former Trump FBI director
Trump was famously dissatisfied with the FBI director he appointed after his election last November, before urging Wray to resign from the post he held for 10 years.
Since then, President Trump has hinted that Wray could be subject to scrutiny and prosecution, including his baseless claim that the FBI incited the attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, to stop the certification of Biden’s victory. “Many great American patriots were forced to pay a very high price just for the love of their country,” President Trump wrote in a Sept. 27 post on Truth Social. “Then-FBI Director Christopher Wray has important clarification to make.”
Last month, on September 28, President Trump told NBC News that he could “certainly imagine” the Justice Department investigating Wray for his “inappropriate” actions as director.
george soros, Billionaire philanthropist and donor to liberal causes
The Justice Department is reportedly investigating billionaire philanthropist George Soros and his son Alex following repeated attacks by President Trump and his supporters.
Just weeks after President Trump posted on social media that Soros and his son should face criminal charges, a senior Justice Department official reportedly directed several federal prosecutors’ offices to investigate the liberal donor and his Open Society Foundations network.
The New York Times and ABC News reported on September 25 that senior Justice Department official Aakash Singh issued the order in letters to at least a small number of U.S. attorney’s offices, including offices in New York and California. The New York Times said it had obtained a copy of the letter, and ABC News cited anonymous sources who confirmed the contents of the letter.
Open Society, which advocates for equality and justice, denies wrongdoing and says the Trump administration’s accusations of inciting left-wing violence are unfounded. The directive, cited by the Times, reportedly includes material support for arson and terrorism charges.
US intelligence leader
President Trump has also frequently criticized Obama administration intelligence officials who led the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Trump’s calls for political retribution intensified after Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s own director of national intelligence, declassified documents showing that Obama’s CIA Director John Brennan and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper tried to falsely accuse Trump of colluding with Russia.
President Trump has been particularly fixated on Brennan, putting him at the top of the list of officials he believes should be charged with “treason.”
Both Mr. Clapper and Mr. Brennan deny wrongdoing.
