Justice Department indicts former FBI Director James Comey

The Justice Department on Thursday secured an indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, days after President Donald Trump urged prosecutors to bring charges and removed a federal prosecutor who had resisted pursuing the president’s political adversaries.

In recent weeks, the administration has accelerated efforts to centralize executive control and remove internal obstacles, with the president seeking to enforce loyalty, punish perceived enemies, and reduce the potential for public dissent in response to these moves. The Comey case stands as the most prominent example of this broader shift.

According to the sequence of events described, the president made clear his desire for prosecutions and then replaced officials he viewed as impediments. He effectively fired a U.S. attorney in Virginia who had declined to bring charges against Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James. The following day, Trump complained that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was not moving quickly enough on such matters. He then installed a loyalist as the new U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, and Comey was indicted shortly thereafter. Earlier Thursday, Trump said he was “not making that determination” on charging Comey, but the progression from public pressure to official action was direct.

Former Trump White House counsel Ty Cobb told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Thursday night that the development marked a “tragic day,” calling the Comey indictment a “clear vindictive” and “selective prosecution.” He added, “The way in which they brought it is problematic for the entire country,” and said, “This is either the end of the rule of law in America or it’s the tipping point against the authoritarian activities that we have seen from this president and his attorney general.”

While that case advanced, the Justice Department also moved on another matter the president has publicly highlighted. After Trump said late last month that George Soros and his son should face criminal charges and stated two weeks ago that “we’re going to look into Soros,” The New York Times reported Thursday that a senior department official instructed more than a half-dozen U.S. attorneys to draft plans to investigate the Democratic donor, including a list of potential criminal statutes. Asked in the Oval Office about Soros, Bondi declined to confirm an investigation but said “everything’s on the table right now,” and Trump added that Soros was a “likely candidate.”

The dynamic differs from Trump’s first term, when officials sometimes resisted his impulses; even then-Attorney General William Barr said the president’s public comments about ongoing cases “make it impossible for me to do my job.” By contrast, the current Justice Department is acting in line with the president’s publicly stated retribution roadmap.

Parallel efforts have targeted dissent. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr issued an extraordinary threat preceding Jimmy Kimmel’s temporary suspension, and Trump suggested broadcast outlets he deems overly critical could lose licenses or face criminal exposure for illegal campaign contributions. “I think we’re going to test ABC out on this,” Trump wrote on Truth Social when Kimmel returned to air. The president and allies also cited the assassination of Charlie Kirk to argue that characterizations of Trump’s actions as “authoritarian” or “fascist” are unacceptable, while attributing blame to political rhetoric from the left before any motive was established in that case and a later shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

Additional recent actions included the Office of Management and Budget threatening mass federal layoffs absent a shutdown deal on the administration’s terms; the Health and Human Services Department advancing measures in sensitive medical areas, including steps that could limit access to mifepristone; a floated economic bailout for Argentina aimed at assisting President Javier Milei; and assertions of unilateral military authority, including strikes on alleged drug boats in international waters. Officials who previously might have moderated such efforts have been replaced, and remaining internal checks are being removed as the administration advances these initiatives.