Future US government: persecution of political opponents? Trump doesn’t commit

US President-elect Donald Trump has responded evasively to questions about whether he will take legal action against political opponents after his inauguration. When asked whether he would carry out his threat to appoint a special prosecutor against outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden, Trump told the US television station NBC: “No, I won’t do that – unless I find something that I think it’s justified.” However, this is not his decision, but rather in the hands of the Ministry of Justice and the Federal Police FBI.

When asked several times whether he would instruct the Justice Department and the FBI to legally target political opponents in Congress, Trump said he would not do so. The two people he has chosen to lead the Justice Department and the FBI – former prosecutor Pam Bondi and FBI critic Kash Patel – should do whatever they want. However, if someone has done something dishonest, fraudulent or corrupt, they are obliged to take action against it.

MPs should “go to jail”

Referring to special counsel Jack Smith, who led two federal criminal cases against Trump, the future president said: “I think he’s very corrupt.” But Bondi should decide for herself what she wants to do regarding Smith. He won’t give her any instructions about it.

Trump also said that in his opinion all the MPs who sat on the committee investigating the Capitol attack should “go to prison.” But he will not give Bondi and Patel any instructions about this. “I think they need to look at this.” He himself wants to concentrate on his government work.

Trump supporters stormed the parliament building in Washington on January 6, 2021. At that time, Congress formally confirmed Democrat Biden’s victory in the presidential election. Trump had incited his supporters during a speech that he had been deprived of his election victory through massive fraud. To this day, the Republican does not acknowledge his defeat and did not do so in the NBC interview when asked.

A committee in the House of Representatives later examined the storming of the Capitol. Smith, in turn, had led investigations surrounding January 6th, which resulted in an indictment against Trump for attempted election fraud.