Trump has stepped up his campaign of retribution and harassment of his political opponents by forcing through an indictment against former FBI director James Comey. Trump has demolished the independence of the US Department of Justice and abused its investigatory and prosecutorial powers in order to vindicate his personal grievances and punish his purported opponents. This is a brazenly political prosecution, an escalation of his already serious abuses of power, and a dangerous attack on our democracy. Congress must impeach.  

Trump has been seeking retribution against Comey for years. He stepped up his direct pressure on the Department of Justice in order to push through an indictment before the five-year statute of limitations ran out. First, he ousted Erik Siebert from his position as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia because Siebert refused to bring unwarranted charges against James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The next day, on Saturday, September 20, 2025, he publicly demanded that his attorney general, Pam Bondi act “NOW!!!” to prosecute Comey, James, and Senator Adam Schiff, later confirming to reporters that Bondi and her team “have to act. They have to act fast.” On Monday, September 22, he appointed Lindsey Halligan to replace Siebert. Halligan is a White House aide, one of Trump’s personal attorneys, and has no prosecutorial experience. Prosecutors in her office urged her not to bring charges against Comey in a memo that explained that the office’s months-long investigation found insufficient evidence to support charges or a conviction against Comey. But Halligan filed criminal charges anyway, giving Trump what he has long sought: the political prosecution of one of his enemies.

The reason for his hatred of Comey? In 2017, Comey was leading the FBI when it began its investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election in support of the Trump campaign. Trump demanded Comey’s loyalty—but Comey later recounted that he could promise only honesty. Trump fired him soon thereafter. This is a recognizable pattern. Trump is targeting career public servants or elected officials who are merely doing their jobs, standing up for their principles, supporting their communities, and carrying out their duties. Trump has repeatedly taken these acts as a personal affront, targeting them for retribution for fulfilling the obligations of their offices. 

This is a dangerous escalation of executive tyranny, but not an unexpected one. During his first term, he repeatedly pressured public officials to target his supposed opponents. Trump has been steadily eroding the Department of Justice’s critically important independence since taking office for a second time. He has fired career public servants who refuse to be beholden to his personal agendas, meddled with prosecutions, demanded the dismissal of legitimate cases, and directed senior officials to investigate his opponents. These were all impeachable acts, and Congress should have acted months ago. It did not; and now we are left with a politically motivated baseless indictment and a Department of Justice that serves not in the interests of justice but in the interests of Trump himself. This is a clearly impeachable offense, an egregious abuse of power that undermines the foundation of our democracy. Congress has an obligation to adhere to the Constitution, put its commitment to our democracy ahead of partisan interests, and impeach Trump and Bondi.