President Donald Trump said Friday that he expects more of his political rivals could face prosecution following the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.
Speaking to CNN as he departed the White House for the Ryder Cup in New York, Trump described Democrats as “corrupt” and insisted that the Justice Department had long been misused for political ends. “It’s not a list, but I think there will be others,” Trump said. “They weaponized the Justice Department like nobody in history. What they’ve done is terrible. I hope there are others, because you can’t let this happen to a country.”
Comey was charged Thursday with two felony counts, accused of lying to Congress during 2020 testimony when he denied authorizing media leaks while leading the FBI during sensitive investigations in 2016. Prosecutors allege that Comey had approved an intermediary to serve as an anonymous source. Trump said Friday the case against him should be “pretty easy,” claiming Comey only “didn’t think he’d get caught.”
The case is being overseen by Acting U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, a Trump appointee installed in Virginia days earlier. Trump would not say whether a more experienced permanent prosecutor should take over, responding, “We’ll see.”
Pressed on whether pursuing Comey set a precedent for Democrats to target future Republican administrations, Trump claimed the opposition had already crossed that line. “They went after me for four years,” he said, describing the indictment as “justice, not revenge.”
Trump has frequently named other critics he would like to see prosecuted, including Rep. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James. CNN has reported that Justice Department officials have been weighing a case against former national security adviser John Bolton over alleged mishandling of classified documents, though prosecutors believe they could build a stronger case by year’s end.
The president has also pointed to billionaire donor George Soros as a potential subject of federal scrutiny, calling him a “likely candidate” for investigation. Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to confirm whether any probe was under way but said “everything’s on the table.”
Comey, once a Republican appointee who later led the FBI under President Barack Obama, became a lightning rod for controversy over his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server in 2016. His dismissal by Trump in 2017 marked a turning point in the relationship between the White House and the FBI.
Trump on Friday called him “worse than a Democrat” and said holding him accountable was necessary. “It’s about justice really,” he said. “They are sick, radical left people, and they can’t get away with it.”
