President Donald Trump ambushed some federal prosecutors during a recent photoshoot and called them "weak" for not prosecuting his foes quickly enough, according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that dozens of U.S. attorneys were at the White House for a photoshoot last Thursday with Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi. During the exchange, Trump called the prosecutors "ineffective." That occurred one day before prosecutor Jeanine Pirro of the Washington, D.C. office subpoenaed Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell over comments he made to a Senate committee last summer, according to the report.
"Trump’s blowup at Justice Department prosecutors comes as the president ramps up pressure on the agency to more aggressively pursue his priorities," the report reads. "He has complained repeatedly in recent weeks about Bondi, calling her an ineffective enforcer of his agenda."
"The president’s pressure campaign has rattled people within the department, including some lawyers brought on by the administration," it added. "Late last year, Trump forced out a conservative U.S. attorney in Virginia who told supervisors he had not found enough evidence to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI director James Comey. Former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan stepped into the job and quickly brought charges against both individuals, only to see the cases dismissed by a judge who ruled Halligan was unlawfully appointed."