Donald Trump faced a stark contradiction during his “60 Minutes” interview Sunday after insisting he isn’t using the Department of Justice to go after his longtime critics.
CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell asked the president whether he instructed the DOJ to “go after” former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, or former national security adviser John Bolton.
“Not in any way, shape, or form,” Trump said. “You don’t have to instruct them, because they were so dirty, they were so crooked, they were so corrupt that the honest people we have—[Attorney General] Pam Bondi is doing a very good job, [FBI Director] Kash Patel is doing a very good job—the honest people that we have go after them automatically.”
But the denial was quickly undercut by a September post Trump shared on Truth Social, which 60 Minutes highlighted on screen. Intended as a message to Bondi, the post described Comey and James as “guilty as hell” and declared that “justice must be served.”
“I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, ‘same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done,’” Trump wrote in the post addressed to “Pam.”
The timing drew scrutiny: five days after the post, Comey was indicted on disputed charges related to his testimony about Russia’s 2016 election investigation. Weeks later, James—who previously prosecuted Trump for filing fraudulent financial statements—was charged with federal bank fraud. Bolton, a vocal critic of Trump, faced charges in October over allegedly mishandling classified documents.
When O’Donnell asked if these developments amounted to “retribution,” Trump pushed back.
“It’s the opposite. I think I’ve been very mild-mannered,” he said. “You’re looking at a man who was indicted many times, and I had to beat the rap, otherwise I couldn’t run for president. They tried to get me not to run for president by going after me and by indicting me.”
Comey, James, and Bolton have all denied wrongdoing, maintaining that the charges against them are linked to Trump’s campaign of revenge.
Watch the clip below:
