Rep. Zoe Lofgren: ‘Trump Is Operating Like a Mafia Boss’

WITT: “John Bolton says this is all part of the president’s retribution campaign and he would never compromise America’s national security. However, based on the details of the allegations, is this indictment different than those of Trump foes James Comey or Letitia James?”

LOFGREN: “Well, we’ll see. He certainly was not named in the direct message to Pam Bondi that was mistakenly posted on Truth Social. But he is a known opponent of Trump and Trump has called him out multiple times. But, you know, we’ll see. Mr. Bolton has pled not guilty. There’ll be a trial and we’ll see. I think most people in America are not focused on this so much as the many other things that Mr. Trump has done that are harming them, and the Republican shutdown of the government, the massive increases in cost of health insurance that is starting to hit now. People are focusing on that appropriately.”

WITT: “You know, you mentioned that DM, really, that the president intended just for Pam Bondi and the White House admitted it was a mistake, which brings me to this question. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, what was your reaction when you saw the president flanked by members of the FBI and DoJ, using the Oval Office to implore them, okay, let’s call it, pressure them to look into both Senator Adam Schiff and former special prosecutor Jack Smith. And are you worried at all that your California colleague, Adam Schiff, will be targeted next?”

LOFGREN: “Well, you know, Trump is operating like a mafia boss, and that’s worrisome since he’s the president of the United States. He mentioned Adam Schiff in his direct message to the Attorney General. It’s completely improper. I mean, it’s outrageous. But not a surprise since Trump, a convicted felon, does not appear to care much about what the law and the Constitution require of him.”

WITT: “Do you have a sense that Donald Trump doesn’t mind if somebody is not found guilty? It’s just the process, the difficulties that he places on these political foes, forcing them to go through not only their bank accounts to pay for attorneys, but just the arduous nature of the time they have to spend on this.”

LOFGREN: “Sure. I mean, whether you are completely innocent of any wrongdoing, you’ve been charged with a crime. You have to hire a lawyer. You have to spend time defending yourself and getting the case dismissed. So, obviously, there is trauma inflicted on his political enemies, even if there’s absolutely baseless charges. And I’m sure he’s enjoying that. He knows what it’s like to be defending against a crime because he defended and actually was convicted of crimes. These individuals will not be convicted of any crimes. But they’ll have to go through the process of defending themselves. I am confident that people across the country will step forward and donate to a fund to defend Senator Schiff. I think he’s already set up a fund to do that, anticipating that the president has already directed in his direct message that was erroneously posted that he should be the target of baseless charges.”