--- title: Trump Vows to Prosecute Political Enemies — Who’s Next? description: Trump signals more opponents could face DOJ charges as critics warn of a politicized justice system. canonical: https://time.com/7321683/trump-political-opponents-doj-prosecution/ author: Solcyré Burga article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-09-30T10:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-11T00:20:40.227Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Vows to Prosecute Political Enemies — Who’s Next? og:description: Trump signals more opponents could face DOJ charges as critics warn of a politicized justice system. og:url: https://time.com/7321683/trump-political-opponents-doj-prosecution/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03bf8756704fdd3a/6998ca3225f3eec9a36450b5/GettyImages-1229490635.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: File:The Best Of U.S. President Donald Trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Vows to Prosecute Political Enemies — Who’s Next? twitter:description: Trump signals more opponents could face DOJ charges as critics warn of a politicized justice system. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03bf8756704fdd3a/6998ca3225f3eec9a36450b5/GettyImages-1229490635.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Trump Has Vowed to Prosecute His Political Foes. 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Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Solcyré Burga](https://time.com/author/solcyre-burga/)  ## Solcyré Burga Reporter Sep 30, 2025 10:00 AM UTC  U.S. President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with James Comey, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), during an Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017. U.S. President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with James Comey, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), during an Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017. Andrew Harrer—Bloomberg via Getty Images  by [Solcyré Burga](https://time.com/author/solcyre-burga/)  ## Solcyré Burga Reporter Sep 30, 2025 10:00 AM UTC President Donald Trump has signaled that [additional political opponents could face prosecution](https://time.com/7321352/christopher-wray-fbi-trump-jan-6-capitol-riots-doj-prosecution-comey/), intensifying concerns over the use of the Department of Justice (DOJ) as an instrument against perceived adversaries. Last week, Trump directed the DOJ to pursue charges against [former FBI Director James Comey](https://time.com/7320692/james-comey-indictment-fbi-trump-pam-bondi-false-statement-halligan/), who investigated him for possible collusion with Russia, fueling concerns over the politicization of the justice system. The indictment drew swift condemnation from civil liberties organizations. The American Civil Liberties Union described it as “a grotesque abuse of presidential power.” Trump, however, suggested that Comey may be the first of multiple targets. “It's not a list, but I think there'll be others,” Trump told reporters on Friday when asked about a potential list of retribution. **Read more**: [_What to Know About Former FBI Director James Comey’s Indictment_](https://time.com/7320692/james-comey-indictment-fbi-trump-pam-bondi-false-statement-halligan/) “These were corrupt radical left Democrats, but Comey, essentially was—he was worse than a Democrat. I would say the Democrats are better than Comey. But no, there'll be others.” Comey was [indicted](https://time.com/7320692/james-comey-indictment-fbi-trump-pam-bondi-false-statement-halligan/) by a federal grand jury on charges of obstruction and making a false statement to Congress related to his 2020 testimony to a Senate committee. Under Comey, the FBI investigated Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and its ties to Trump’s presidential campaign. The indictment came just days after Trump publicly called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute Comey and others. Comey has denied any wrongdoing. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told TIME his prosecution was intended to “restore integrity to our justice system.” “It is the ultimate hypocrisy to accuse President Trump of what Joe Biden actively did throughout his presidency: engaging in lawfare against his political opponents. The indictment against Comey speaks for itself, and the Trump Administration looks forward to fair proceedings in the courts,” she said. Here are the other political and influential figures that the President may target next. ## Letitia James New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who took nearly 100 legal actions against Trump during his first term, could also soon face charges. The Justice Department issued two subpoenas earlier this year: One related to whether James had violated the President’s rights by bringing a civil case against him, and another surrounding the case filed against the National Rifle Association. Attorney General Pam Bondi also authorized an investigation into mortgage fraud after Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, [filed a criminal referral](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5478125-mortgage-fraud-trump-retribution/). The latter case would be similar to the one brought forward by James against the Trump Organization, which was later found guilty of overvaluing properties in order to get more favorable loans. In response, James has preemptively turned to a national Democratic group to help fund her legal defense against Trump, [according to the _Gothamist_.](https://gothamist.com/news/ny-ag-james-turns-to-legal-defense-fund-as-pressure-mounts-from-trump-doj) The potential indictment comes after Erik Seibert, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, resigned from his position as federal prosecutor after he told other DOJ officials that he had insufficient evidence to bring charges against James, [according to the New York _Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/us/politics/erik-siebert-comey-letitia-james.html). Trump later wrote on Truth Social that Seibert had not resigned, but rather, had been fired by the President. Seibert had also similarly been resistant to Trump’s calls to prosecute Comey, although Trump’s replacement, Lindsey Halligan, was able to convince a grand jury to indict him soon after taking on the role. Following Trump’s 2024 presidential win, James [stated](https://www.nbcnews.com/video/n-y-ag-james-says-her-office-is-prepared-to-fight-back-in-new-trump-presidency-223744069784) that she would continue to “protect and defend the rights of New Yorkers” and that her office had prepared for this outcome. ## Christopher Wray Most recently, Trump has pointed to a potential investigation into former FBI Director Christopher Wray. Wray, who was appointed by Trump, is under fire after the President shared an unfounded claim that the FBI had incited the Jan. 6 Capitol riots under his leadership. “It was just revealed that the FBI had secretly placed, against all Rules, Regulations, Protocols, and Standards, 274 FBI Agents into the Crowd just prior to, and during, the January 6th Hoax” the President [wrote](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115277207989888806) on Truth Social on Sept. 27\. “Many Great American Patriots were made to pay a very big price only for the love of their Country…Christopher Wray, the then Director of the FBI, has some major explaining to do.” The President told [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-weighs-whether-doj-investigate-former-fbi-director-christopher-w-rcna234225) on Sunday that he “would imagine” that the DOJ is investigating Wray due to his “inappropriate service.” Still, Trump clarified that investigators haven’t gathered information beyond claims of FBI agents being present during the Capitol riots. ## Adam Schiff Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California, who helped lead the first impeachment inquiry into Trump, is also similarly facing allegations of mortgage fraud. Schiff has been repeatedly criticized by the President, who claimed that the Senator had made up lies about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. “I’m looking at Pam because I hope something’s going to be done about it. It was a hoax created by the Democrats, but in particular, Schiff, crooked Hillary, the whole group,” Trump [said](https://x.com/BulwarkOnline/status/1955669583823511887) in August. Schiff also served on the House committee that looked into attempts to overturn the 2020 election and the Capitol riots. In August, FBI Director Kash Patel [released](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democratic-whistleblower-told-fbi-adam-schiff-approved-classified-leaks-target-trump) internal FBI information about a former House Intelligence Committee staffer who claimed Schiff approved the leak of classified information about Trump and Russia that would be “used to indict” the President. An investigation into the matter during Trump’s first term questioned the whistleblower’s credibility. ## George Soros The Justice Department is launching an investigation into billionaire philanthropist George Soros and his son, Alex Soros, at the request of the President. A senior DOJ official has asked investigators to look into the husband-son duo and the Open Society Foundations—a nonprofit chaired by Alex and the world’s largest private funder of groups that are advocating for equity and justice—for potential charges. A directive reviewed by the New York _Times_ [reportedly](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/us/politics/justice-trump-george-soros-foundation.html) includes charges for arson and material support of terrorism. TIME has not independently reviewed the memos. The President on Thursday told the press that George Soros would be a “likely candidate” for investigation. “If you look at Soros, he’s at the top of everything,” Trump said. “He’s in every story that I read, so I guess he’d be a likely candidate.” Last month, the President said that George Soros should be charged with violations of the RICO Act, which targets organized crime, “because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America,” in a post on Truth Social. The Open Society Foundations has [stated](https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/newsroom/statement-on-politically-motivated-attacks-on-open-society) that it “unequivocally condemn\[s\] terrorism” and does not fund it. “These accusations are politically motivated attacks on civil society, meant to silence speech the administration disagrees with and undermine the First Amendment right to free speech. When power is abused to take away the rights of some people, it puts the rights of all people at risk.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7321683/trump-political-opponents-doj-prosecution/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7321683/trump-political-opponents-doj-prosecution/"},"headline":"Trump Has Vowed to Prosecute His Political Foes. 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