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White House officials confirmed that a wild social media post by President Donald Trump was intended to be a direct message to Attorney General Pam Bondi, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
Last month, Trump posted a screed on his Truth Social media platform that curiously began by addressing Bondi. In the missive, the president expressed frustration that the Department of Justice had not yet indicted some of his political foes. Specifically, he singled out former FBI Director James Comey, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and New York Attorney General Letitia James:
Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, “same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam “Shifty” Schiff, Leticia?? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.” Then we almost put in a Democrat supported U.S. Attorney, in Virginia, with a really bad Republican past. A Woke RINO, who was never going to do his job. That’s why two of the worst Dem Senators PUSHED him so hard. He even lied to the media and said he quit, and that we had no case. No, I fired him, and there is a GREAT CASE, and many lawyers, and legal pundits, say so. Lindsey Halligan is a really good lawyer, and likes you, a lot. We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! President DJT
Many suspected at the time that Trump had publicly posted the message in error, which the officials said was the case. Moreover, the Journal reported that Bondi was “upset” by the snafu, which Trump tried to make up for in a subsequent public post commending her:
On Sept. 20, Trump meant to send a private message to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging her to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and his other favored targets, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” Trump wrote.
Trump believed he had sent Bondi the message directly, addressing it to “Pam,” and was surprised to learn it was public, the officials said. Bondi grew upset and called White House aides and Trump, who then agreed to send a second post praising Bondi as doing a “GREAT job.”
Comey was indicted less than a week later on charges of perjury and obstruction. Legal scholars across the ideological spectrum have panned the case as lacking merit. The indictment came after Trump removed Erik Siebert, his handpicked interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who reportedly declined to prosecute because he did not believe the government had a good case.
Trump replaced Siebert with Lindsey Halligan, who previously served as an attorney for Trump. She has never prosecuted a case, and some legal experts have even argued her appointment – and subsequently Comey’s indictment – are invalid.
The post White House Officials Admit Trump’s Public Screed Against Pam Bondi Was Supposed to Be Private Message: Report first appeared on Mediaite.
