WASHINGTON — President Trump tore apart former Justice Department leaders on Friday — in a rare speech at the department headquarters, his appointees said they “expel corrupt forces” from their ranks and mislead “legendary” public accounts.
“As our country's top law enforcement officer, I assert and demand full accountability for the mistakes and abuses that have occurred,” Trump said in his remarks.
“Our predecessor has turned this Department of Justice into a fraudulent department, but I stand before you today and declare that the day is not over and they will never come back,” Trump told the crowd, including members of the department and members of Congress.
“We expel fraudsters and corrupt forces from the government. We expose them and so many serious fraud that you've never seen anything like that. It's going to be legendary.”
Trump spoke before a poster declaring the event's focus “fight against fentanyl,” dealing with illegal immigrants from powerful synthetic opioids and high deaths, but repeatedly discussed his federal indictment for misdirecting the classified documents and challenging the 2020 election results.
“First, we have to be honest about the lies and abuses that have occurred within these walls. Unfortunately, in recent years, corrupt groups of hacking and extremists within the US government's ranks have eliminated the creation of trust and goodwill for generations,” Trump said.
“They will use the enormous power of our intelligence reporting agencies and law enforcement as a weapon to stop the will of the American people,” he continued his first presidential speech since 2015 at the Department of Justice.
“They spyed on my campaigns, started surgeries on hoaxes and disformation one after another, broke the law on a huge scale, persecuting my family, staff and supporters, storming my home's Mar Lago, and did everything in their power to prevent me from becoming President of the United States.”
Trump declared, “In the end, the thugs failed, and the truth won.”[formerattorneygeneral'MerrickGarlandandtheircronyes…whatthey'verippeddownisincalculable”[formerattorneygeneral’MerrickGarlandandtheircronies…whatthey’verippeddownisincalculable”
He said Biden is also allegedly misinterpreting the classified documents, but special advisor Robert Huar said he was not charged because he ruled he would not convict him because he was an older man and suffered from poor memory.
“I would have known I was guilty,” he joked about Biden's mental state.
Trump called the criminal case against him “Bug-T,” accusing the “violent and malicious” prosecutors involved and FBI officials, and called federal officials “evil” and “scum.”
“I was attacked by my political enemy,” Trump insisted.
At one point in his remarks, Trump allegedly encouraged public pressure on judges and said he considers outlet coverage “illegal.”
The president also pointed out to those charged with taking part on January 6, 2021 that the Capitol riots were called “hostages” and “political prisoners” and that he forgived them.
“In the coming years, we will revive the historical legacy of this sector that is happening now,” Trump said.
“We will restore the fame of this great sector and restore faith in the judicial system.”
