On September 20, 2025, President Trump accidentally posted a private message intended for Attorney General Pam Bondi to his public Truth Social account, exposing direct presidential pressure to prosecute political enemies. The post read: “What about Comey, Adam 'Shifty' Schiff, Leticia??? They're all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done. We can't delay any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility.”
The message was visible to Trump's 10.8 million Truth Social followers before it was deleted, but not before it was widely screenshot and shared. The accidental post provided the clearest evidence yet that Trump was personally directing the Attorney General on whom to prosecute — a fundamental violation of DOJ independence norms that have been in place since Watergate.
The timeline of what followed was damning. Within days of the post: former FBI Director James Comey was indicted on September 25, New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted on October 9, and former National Security Advisor John Bolton was indicted on October 16. The investigation into Rep. Adam Schiff reportedly stalled due to insufficient evidence. The rapid-fire indictments following the leaked directive drew comparisons to authoritarian regimes where political prosecutions are openly directed by heads of state.