A large banner featuring the face of US President Donald Trump was hung outside the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC, on Thursday in a display of power over the law enforcement agency that once investigated him.
The banner was hung between two columns on one corner of the building and read, “Make America Safe Again,” a slogan long used by the Trump administration to tout its efforts to clamp down on illegal immigration and violent crime.
It was also seen as a symbol of a shift from the department’s tradition of independence from White House control, Associated Press reported.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has positioned herself as Trump’s chief supporter and protector, shifting from her predecessors’ stance of keeping a distance from White House to protect the impartiality of investigations and prosecutions.
Meanwhile, White House has rejected accusations of weaponising the department for political purposes. Trump admin officials alleged that the Biden administration was the one that used the agency for its purpose, with two federal criminal cases against Trump that were abandoned after he won the 2024 election.
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Criticising the banner, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James Comey, took to Instagram and said the banner was “sickening to see.” He also remarked sacrcastically that the administration “forgot to cover the inscription” on one side of the building that says: ‘Where law ends tyranny begins.’
On Thursday, the justice department, in a statement, said that it is proud to “celebrate 250 years of our great country and our historic work to make America safe again at President Trump’s direction,” news agency AP reported.
The Trump administration has opened investigations into a number of the President’s perceived enemies, amplifying concerns that the agency is being used to exact revenge.
Banners bearing Trump’s images were hung across several institutions last year, including the Department of Labour, the Department of Agriculture and the US Institute for Peace buildings, Reuters reported.
A board of directors appointed by Trump voted in December to add Trump’s name to the John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts. Trump’s name was also affixed last year to the US Institute of Peace building in Washington.
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