WASHINGTON (AP) — A large banner featuring Donald Trump’s face was hung on the exterior of Justice Department headquarters on Thursday in a physical display of the Republican president’s efforts to exert power over the law enforcement agency that once investigated him.
While Trump banners have been hung outside other agencies across Washington, the decision to place one on the storied Justice Department building amounted to a striking symbol of the erosion of the department’s tradition of independence from White House control.
The banner, hung between two columns on one corner of the building, says, “Make America Safe Again,” a slogan used by the administration to tout its efforts to clamp down on illegal immigration and violent crime.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has postured herself as the president’s chief supporter and protector, eschewing the approach of predecessors who sought to maintain an arms-length distance from the White House to protect the impartiality of investigations and prosecutions.