Bondi Says DOJ ‘Weaponization’ Against Americans Has Ended

Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday that the “weaponization” of the Justice Department and other government agencies against Americans has ended under the leadership of President Donald Trump.

In an interview this week with legacy Fox News host Sean Hannity, Bondi said that the Biden administration’s attempts to charge and jail Trump amounted to “the ultimate weaponization” of the federal government.

“We are investigating so many things, Sean, at the Department of Justice. And, that was the ultimate weaponization, what they did to President Trump, what they did to his family,” she said. “No longer.”

Bondi also vowed that those who she has accused of misuing government power against Americans during the previous administration will be held to account.

“Weaponization has ended and no one in this country is above the law. And people will be held accountable,” she said.

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Meanwhile, four in five U.S. adults see crime in major cities as a serious problem, and most support federal law enforcement assisting local police, according to a new Associated Press/NORC survey. This comes as Trump and Bondi have expanded federal law enforcement to Washington, D.C., and perhaps soon to other Democrat-run cities in a push to drive down crime rates.

Eighty-one percent of U.S. adults say crime in major cities is a “major” problem, including about seven in ten Democrats and independents.

Overall, 99% say crime is a problem in large cities, compared with 84% who view it as a problem in small towns or rural areas, and 98% who see it as a problem nationwide. Two-thirds (66%) describe crime as a major problem across the country.

A majority of Americans — 55% — say it is acceptable for the U.S. military and National Guard to assist local police, while 37% disagree and 7% are unsure, according to the AP/NORC survey. Nearly half of independents (46%) favor federal help, compared with 38% who oppose it. Among Democrats, just 30% approve of such assistance and 63% oppose it.

The poll found 53% of adults approve of Trump’s handling of crime, a higher rating than for his handling of immigration (44%), the economy (43%), or the Russia-Ukraine war (42%).

When asked whether the federal government should be allowed to “take control of local police departments,” 32% said yes, 55% said no, and 12% were unsure.

On Aug. 11, President Trump invoked Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act, giving him authority to control the city’s police for up to 30 days during an emergency. After that period, authority reverts to local officials.

The D.C. Police Union has welcomed the federal support, citing severe understaffing within the Metropolitan Police Department.

In addition, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, who is a Democrat, has also praised Trump’s effort and has ordered the MPD to continue cooperating with federal authorities after the 30-day takeover expires, which Congress is likely to permit.

Any extension would require congressional approval, but Republicans on Capitol Hill have shown no plans to act within the next week. Instead, House Republicans are advancing a slate of bills to expand federal control over Washington, including tougher criminal sentencing measures and a Trump-backed initiative to “beautify the district” by removing graffiti and restoring monuments.

Kentucky GOP Rep. James Comer, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said that “together with President Trump,” the panel will “fulfill its constitutional duty to oversee District affairs and make D.C. safe again.”

Bowser last week extended the work of the city’s emergency operations center set up in response to the federal law enforcement surge. She said local police are coordinating with federal agencies and credited the effort with sharp crime reductions, including an 87% drop in carjackings.

Republican leaders in Congress have shown little interest in acting on an extension, aides said, noting Bowser’s cooperation with federal authorities and Trump’s silence on the matter.

Democrats have criticized Trump’s takeover, leading Republicans to cast them as supportive of criminals over the well-being of law-abiding citizens.