President Trump Gives AG Bondi More Names To Prosecute In Oval Office Meeting

Traditionally, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and, by extension, the FBI have operated independently from the executive branch. Of course, President Donald Trump’s second stay in the Oval Office has been anything but traditional. Having already launched flimsy cases against the likes of Fed Gov. Lisa Cook and New York Attorney General Letitia James, President Trump added more names to his revenge tour in a meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. 

According to the New York Times, President Trump told Bondi, Patel, and Deputy Attorney Todd Blanche that he wanted investigations launched into Jack Smith, Andrew Weissmann, and Lisa Monaco. Smith was the special counsel who brought two criminal indictments against Trump. Weissmann is a former FBI official who led the investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia during the 2016 election, and Lisa Monaco was the deputy attorney general during the Biden presidency. 

“Deranged Jack Smith, in my opinion, is a criminal,” Trump said in the meeting as Bondi, Patel, and Blanche looked on. “His interviewer was Weissmann — I hope they’re going to look into Weissmann, too — Weissmann’s a bad guy. And he had somebody, Lisa, who was his puppet, worked in the office, really, as the top person. I think she should be looked at very strongly.”

The interview Trump referenced happened earlier this month between Smith and Weissman, where both were critical of how the FBI and DOJ have essentially forfeited their independence under the leadership of Patel and Bondi, respectively. “Nothing like what we see now has ever gone on,” Smith told Weissmann during the interview. “There are rules in the department about how to bring a case — follow those rules,” Smith added. “You can’t say: ‘I want this outcome. Let me throw the rules out.’”

Judging by the recent actions of the DOJ and FBI, apparently, you can say, “I want this outcome. Let me throw the rules out.” Despite several DOJ officials telling Trump that there wasn’t enough evidence to launch a case against Letitia James, he pressured former U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert to resign so he could replace him with an attorney who would eventually file charges against James. 

This was not the first time Trump publicly pressured Bondi into going after his political opponent. Last month, he sent out a series of posts on Truth Social urging Bondi to prosecute James, former FBI Director James Comey, and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Sure enough, charges were filed against Comey and James, with the DOJ currently investigating Schiff. Bondi even suggested Schiff should apologize to President Trump for impeaching him during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this month. 

Despite launching a public campaign for the Epstein Files to be released before becoming FBI Director, Patel has used his newfound power to delay their release and downplay the relationship between President Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. 

It’s baffling to me how the MAGA cult still wholeheartedly supports President Trump. A large number of his policies have had a net negative impact on the American economy. Inflation, which was a huge issue for his base during the 2024 election, has been exacerbated by his erratic tariff policy. The government is currently shut down due to the Republican Party allowing pandemic-era ACA subsidies to end, which will result in substantially higher monthly premiums for the millions of Americans who get their health insurance through the ACA.

Instead of using his power to actively improve the lives of the people who voted for him, he’s wasting taxpayer dollars to launch flimsy cases against his political rivals. Please, someone, tell me how launching a case against freaking Lisa Monaco is going to materially improve any of our lives. 

SEE ALSO:

President Trump Pressures AG Pam Bondi To Prosecute Political Rivals

Why Trump Likely Picked Bondi For AG

Trump Attacks Free Speech, As Pam Bondi Targets Journalists