Former President Donald Trump called on his fellow Republicans in Congress to slash funding for the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI, going on the offensive a day after pleading not guilty in New York to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Trump, who is seeking to regain the presidency in 2024, took aim at federal law enforcement authorities even though the historic criminal charges against him – the first brought against any former or sitting president – were pursued by the Manhattan district attorney.
Republicans in the past have supported robust funding for law enforcement and have criticized proposals from some on the left in recent years to “defund” local police departments. Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, backed spending increases for the Justice Department and FBI while in office. The FBI is the U.S. domestic intelligence and security agency.
Trump faces two Justice Department criminal investigations led by a special counsel appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. One focuses on efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election that he lost to Democratic President Joe Biden and the other focuses on classified documents that Trump retained after leaving office.
Trump himself appointed the current FBI director, Christopher Wray, after firing the agency’s previous chief, James Comey, in 2017.
Congress appears unlikely to follow through on Trump’s demand. Republicans control the House of Representatives and Democrats control the Senate.
The FBI on Wednesday declined to comment on Trump’s remarks.
Reduced funding for federal law enforcement also would not affect another criminal investigation involving Trump led by a county prosecutor in Georgia, focusing on whether he unlawfully sought to overturn his 2020 election loss in that state.
