1776Reporting
Former President Donald Trump unleashed a scathing rebuke of President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice, accusing it of turning America into a “corrupt communist” nation. Speaking Friday at the DOJ, Trump declared that the agency had become a “Department of Injustice” under his predecessor’s administration.
“Our predecessors turned this Department of Justice into the Department of Injustice,” Trump said. “But I stand before you today to declare that those days are over and they are never going to come back.”
Trump has long criticized the Justice Department and the FBI, branding them as corrupt due to the numerous investigations and lawsuits against him. One of the most infamous cases was the FBI’s probe into Trump’s 2016 campaign over alleged Russian collusion. That investigation ultimately found no evidence of coordination between Trump and Russia to influence the election.
Now, Trump faces legal challenges of his own. Former Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed special counsel Jack Smith to investigate Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
“They tried to turn America into a corrupt communist and third world country, but in the end, the thugs failed and the truth won,” Trump said. “Freedom won, justice won, democracy won. And above all, the American people won.”
Trump accused Biden, Garland, and their allies of using the legal system to target him, calling their actions “a betrayal of American values.”
“There could be no more heinous betrayal of American values than to use the law to terrorize the innocent and reward the wicked,” Trump said. “And that’s what they were doing at a level that’s never been seen before. And it’s exactly what you saw with Joe Biden, Merrick Garland and their cronies do to the building over the last four years. They ripped what they’ve ripped down is incalculable.”
The Biden administration has not responded to Trump’s allegations, and a spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital.
Trump also turned his ire toward the media, accusing news outlets of colluding with the judicial system to influence legal proceedings.
“It has to be illegal,” Trump said. “It’s influencing judges … and it just cannot be legal. I don’t believe it’s legal, and they do it in total coordination with each other.”
He further alleged that a “corrupt group of hacks and radicals” within the government has been targeting him and his family for years in an effort to prevent his return to the White House. He specifically named Marc Elias, a former attorney with the law firm Perkins Coie, as one of those working against him.
In 2016, Perkins Coie hired opposition research firm Fusion GPS to dig into Trump’s background on behalf of Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Fusion GPS then brought in former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who compiled the infamous “Steele dossier.” That document, which included scandalous and largely unverified claims about Trump, played a role in the FBI obtaining a surveillance warrant on Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations in the dossier. As president, he took action against those involved, signing an executive order on March 4 that revoked security clearances and federal access for Perkins Coie attorneys.
In response, the law firm filed a legal challenge, seeking to block the administration’s move. U.S. Judge Beryl Howell granted a temporary restraining order in favor of Perkins Coie.
The White House fired back, calling the lawsuit absurd.
“It is absurd that a billion-dollar law firm is suing to retain its access to government perks and handouts,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Trump’s fiery speech signals his ongoing battle against what he calls a weaponized legal system. As he ramps up his campaign for 2024, his rhetoric against Biden’s DOJ is likely to remain a key rallying point for his supporters.
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