A large banner bearing Donald Trump’s face hung outside Justice Department headquarters Thursday, a physical display of the president’s efforts to rein in the law enforcement agency that once investigated him.
While Trump banners hang outside other agencies across Washington, the decision to place one on the storied Justice Department building is a striking symbol of the department’s erosion of its tradition of independence from White House control.
A banner hung between two columns in one corner of the building read, “Make America Safe Again” — a slogan the administration uses to promote its efforts to curb illegal immigration and violent crime.
Pam Bondi, the attorney general, has cast herself as the president’s chief supporter and defender, abandoning her predecessor’s policy of trying to maintain an arms-length distance from the White House to protect the impartiality of investigations and prosecutions.
Trump officials have rejected accusations of weaponizing the Justice Department for political gain, saying the Biden administration politicized law enforcement with two federal criminal cases against Trump that were dropped after he won the 2024 election.
“We are proud to celebrate 250 years of our great nation and our historic work under President Trump’s leadership to make America safe again,” the department said in a statement Thursday.
The Trump administration has opened investigations into several identified enemies of the president, raising concerns that the agency could be used to retaliate against his political enemies.
Federal prosecutors indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey, who were later fired, and tried to indict several Democratic lawmakers separately in connection with a video urging members of the U.S. military to resist “illegal orders.”
The department is also investigating congressional testimony against Fed Chair Jerome Powell and whether Democratic Minnesota officials obstructed federal immigration enforcement through public statements.
