Trump Declares the Era of the ‘Department of Injustice’ is Over
The president stated that he would insist on ‘full and complete accountability for the wrongs and abuses that took place.’
On March 14, President Donald Trump delivered a comprehensive address at the Department of Justice, condemning what he termed as the “weaponization” by the previous administration while pledging to enhance the nation’s law enforcement efforts.
“Our predecessors transformed this Department of Justice into the Department of Injustice,” he declared. “But I stand before you today to announce that those times are behind us and they will never return.” He emphasized that he would demand “full and complete accountability for the wrongs and abuses that occurred.”
During his speech, Trump reiterated his demand for the attorney general to pursue the death penalty for anyone who kills a police officer and suggested that it should also apply to drug traffickers.
“Various jurisdictions implement the death penalty,” he remarked. “In places where the death penalty exists, drug problems tend to diminish, but I’m just not certain if this country is prepared for that.”
Trump paused to allow Anne Funder, who lost her son to an accidental fentanyl overdose, to speak. She characterized Trump’s election as the “best thing that we could do to keep America safe again.”
Previously, the Justice Department under the Biden administration was pursuing Trump as part of former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations, which Trump alleged to be an abuse of the department against political adversaries.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has appointed his former attorneys to crucial roles within the department. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who introduced him ahead of his speech, was one of his advisors during the 2020 presidential campaign.
Trump also mentioned that he dismissed U.S. attorneys appointed by President Joe Biden whom he labeled as “radical left” and “pro-crime.”
Emil Bove, one of his criminal defense lawyers, is now serving as his principal associate deputy attorney general, while Todd Blanche, who led his defense during his New York criminal trial, has taken on the role of deputy attorney general at the department. Trump also appointed Kash Patel, an official from his first administration, as the FBI director.
Trump expressed that firing FBI Director James Comey in 2017 was “a great honor for me.” He further stated that he would halt the construction of the FBI headquarters in Maryland and instead build it in Washington.
“We’re going to construct another large FBI building right where it is, which would have been the correct decision, since the FBI and the DOJ need to be in proximity to one another,” he remarked. He also mentioned that the DOJ and FBI previously “colluded for bad reasons” against him.
Ultimately, Trump’s two federal cases were dropped after Smith’s request, following Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election. One of these cases was dismissed at the district court level by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who asserted that the appointment of Smith as special counsel was unconstitutional.
Cannon, Trump stated, “was the absolute model of what a judge should be.” He went on to criticize the adverse commentary directed toward judges like Cannon—something he claimed amounted to “playing the ref.”