Trump's legal retribution tour is getting more blatant
In case there was any doubt that President Donald Trump and his administration are on a legal retribution tour, this should just about settle it. Trump has often been under investigation during his political career — a fact owing to his near-constant efforts to push boundaries. But perhaps the four biggest examples? The Russia investigation; his Ukraine impeachment; January 6, 2021; and his personal legal troubles after leaving office (including those stemming from January 6). Less than seven months into Trump's second term, key people from every one of these efforts have now apparently faced investigations of their own. More than 10 people who played key roles in these investigations or ran afoul of Trump have faced some kind of significant legal scrutiny. These are steps that go beyond Trump merely accusing them of misdeeds or suggesting they should be probed. Trump and top administration officials have also targeted foes with firings and stripped them of security clearances, but the effort to apply legal scrutiny to some of the most prominent adversaries appears to be ratcheting up. Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this weekordered a grand jury probeinto allegations that key Obama administration officials manipulated intelligence in the Russia probe. On Friday came news thatNew York Attorney General Letitia James, who won a civil fraud case against Trump, faces her own grand jury probe. Reports indicate a similar effort has also targeted Sen. Adam Schiff of California, who figured prominently in two Trump investigations from the president's first term. Often, the allegations being investigated do not relate to the figures' actions in probing Trump. Many of allegations remain unsubstantiated in the public record, like those about the Russia intelligence. None of which means none of the people did anything wrong. There is plenty we don't know. But it would seem telling that key figures from each of these efforts have found themselves under scrutiny. What are the odds that happens — and so quickly — if this isn't about retaliation and sending a message? And even if the investigations don't amount to anything, there is value for Trump in creating legal headaches for these people. It certainly sends a message to anyone who might to investigate him in the future. Here's a look at what we know, broken down by who investigated Trump for what. Barack Obama, et al.: Bondi, earlier this week, ordered prosecutors tobegin a grand jury probeinto allegations that top Obama administration officials manufactured intelligence about Russia's interference in the 2016 election. The move followed the release of new documents from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that she and othershave misconstruedand that don't appear to shed much light beyond previous probes — including ones spearheaded by Republicans. Gabbard and Trump have gone so far as to suggest Obama himselfcommitted treason. Former FBI Director James Comey: We learned last month that the FBI was investigating Comey forpossible false statements to Congress. Trump controversially fired Comey in 2 017 amid the FBI director's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election and its possible ties to Trump's campaign. The news of the investigation came after top Trump administration officials earlier this yearstrained to accuse Comeyof calling for the president's assassination. Former CIA Director John Brennan: That FBI investigation also included Brennan, who played a key role in early assessments of Russia's interference and whom Trump has regularly attacked. Sen. Adam Schiff of California: The Justice Department is also probing Schiff, according to reports, for allegations of mortgage fraud. Those reports haven't been confirmed by CNN, but Schiff's lawyer Preet Bharara late Friday issued a statement calling the allegations "transparently false, stale, and long debunked." Schiff managed Democrats in Trump's first impeachment in 2019 when he was serving in the House and later chaired the House January 6 committee's investigation of Trump. The news comes weeks after Trump called Schiff "a THIEF" and said, "He should be prosecuted." Trump also said in December that Schiff and other January 6 committee membersshould be jailed. The allegations stem from a confidential Fannie Mae memo raising questions about the possibility of "occupancy misrepresentation" by Schiff,according to The Washington Post. Liz Cheney: Shortly after the 2024 election, Trump urged the FBI to investigate Schiff's co-chair of the January 6 committee, former Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican. In addition to saying January 6 committee members should be in jail, Trump promoted social media posts calling for Cheney to face a televised military tribunal. While there is no evidence of such an FBI investigation, House Republicanspressed forward with their own probe, focused on the idea that Cheney manipulated evidence in that investigation. That investigation hasdivided House Republicans, CNN reported in March. This category could also include Schiff, given he managed Trump's first impeachment, which related to the president's efforts to leverage Ukraine for political help in the 2020 election. The Vindmans: Then-interim US Attorney Ed Martin earlier this year sent letters to Democratic Rep. Eugene Vindman of Virginia seeking information about a business Vindman and his brother, Alexander Vindman, founded to help arm Ukraine to fight Russia, according toThe Washington Post. CNN has not reported on these letters. Before Eugene Vindman was elected to Congress, the Vindman brothers blew the whistle on Trump tying Ukraine aid to the country announcing an investigation into the Bidens, when Joe Biden was Trump's campaign opponent. Trump has regularly attacked Alexander Vindman, whom former top administration official Elon Musk once called a "traitor." New York Attorney General Letitia James: James has faced investigations in multiple jurisdictions, including ones related to alleged mortgage fraud and her actions in investigating Trump. James successfully brought civil fraud charges against Trump in 2023, winninga verdict worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and brought multiple lawsuits against the first Trump administration. Trump has attacked James for years. Shortly before an investigation of Jamescame to light in May, Trump called James "a total crook." Special counsel Jack Smith: The Office of Special Counsel, which is temporarily headed by a Trump appointee after the president fired its previous head, is investigating Smith forpotential violations of the Hatch Act. (The Office of Special Counsel is separate from the kind of special counsel Smith served as.) That act limits political activities by government employees. Smith led the investigations and attempted federal prosecutions of Trump over January 6 and Trump's decision to take classified documents after leaving the White House in 2021. Those cases resulted in indictments but did not go to trial after Trump was elected president. Trump has frequently attacked Smith in public, often calling him "deranged." It's not clear precisely what the probe is focused on, but Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansasrecently allegedSmith's prosecutorial actions against Trump were geared toward influencing the 2024 election. Miles Taylor: Trump in April signed an executive action that, among other things,ordered the Justice Department to probethe former Department of Homeland Security official. Taylor in 2018 wrote an anonymousNew York Times op-eddescribing a "resistance" within the administration to Trump, and later wrote a book critical of Trump. Christopher Krebs: The same executive action also ordered a probe of the former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director, who after the 2020 election undercut Trump's false claims of widespread voter fraud. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com
Trump's legal retribution tour is getting more blatant In case there was any doubt that President Donald Trump and his administration ar...
