During his first 6 weeks in power, #Trump & his appointees have torn down many of the barriers that have long existed between the White House & the #DOJ to prevent political #interference in the impartial application of #justice & ensure the #independence of federal #law enforcement agencies.

But Trump, who was 2X indicted by the DOJ, has long viewed the agency as the center of “deep state” resistance to him.

“Unfortunately in recent years, a corrupt group of hacks & radicals within the ranks of the American government obliterated the trust & good will built up over generations,” #Trump told an audience made up of supporters & law enforcement ofcls. “They weaponized the vast powers of our intelligence & law enforcement agencies to try & thwart the will of the American people.”

If #Trump’s delivery verged on *free association* [paranoid angry ramblings], his message was unmistakable: Trump intends to bend the vast powers of the federal #law enforcement establishment to his will — in the pursuit of an *anti-crime* agenda &, perhaps, vengeance.

#Trump also accused the #DOJ’s #Biden-era leadership of trying to destroy him, & declared President Joseph R. Biden Jr. the head of a “crime” family.

“Scum,” Trump called his adversaries — in the same room where Attorney General Robert Jackson delivered a famous 1940 speech urging prosecutors be animated by “fair play” rather than a blind drive to win.

The event, held in the Great Hall of the #Justice Dept, was billed as a major #policy address to reposition #DOJ from the purported political “weaponization” of the #Biden era to a renewed focus on crime, punishment & fighting drugs.

But in an hourlong speech, #Trump veered from his prepared remarks to launch into a bitter spiel in which he lashed out at lawyers & fmr prosecutors by name in a venue dedicated to the impartial administration of justice.

"A judge's #security is dependent in many ways on the Marshals Service who the president appoints to protect the judges, & if a president doesn't like a decision that's coming from a judge, *theoretically* they could pull their security," Rep. Eric Swalwell (S-CA) said at a congressional hearing this month.

#Trump has already yanked protection this year from fmr military & #NationalSecurity ofcls who disagreed w/Trump.

"The more that people like #ElonMusk are putting on the wall the idea that it's appropriate to attack these judges for nothing more than ruling against the federal government, the more that we're normalizing what really are in the main very serious threats to #JudicialIndependence," Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at Georgetown University, said.

Efforts to undermine the #judiciary come at the same time the #Trump admin has moved to fire lawyers inside the #DOJ & the #Pentagon, penalize private law firms who represented clients Trump does not like, & to back away from participation in the activities of the #ABA.

Congressional #Republicans close to the president even have proposed #impeachment proceedings against a few of those judges, who serve for life.

#ElonMusk, who oversees #DOGE making cuts to federal agencies, himself has repeatedly posted on social media about impeaching #judges who delay or block parts of #Trump's agenda.

@ProPublica #StochasticTerrorism is a feature, not a bug, for this #Fascist junta
#KyrieEleison

Elon Musk ridiculed a blind person on X. Then a mob went to work.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/elon-musk-ridiculed-a-blind-person-on-x-then-a-mob-went-to-work/ar-AA1zcoHB

"Musk’s ...ownership of a #SocialMedia platform... & his position heading a #government entity with access to private #data, give him a unique ability to threaten those who question him...

“People do not feel safe speaking out in this country against the govt,” said Ryan Calo, a law professor... "the govt in the form of #ElonMusk & #Trump himself will catalyze retribution.”"

…#ElonMusk’s attacks carry a new #power since #Trump has taken office, Calo said. #Musk is a special government employee, & his #DOGE team has access to sensitive private data. As the owner of X, he can choose what content is allowed.

[see earlier posted article on DOGE access of the #IRS #IDRS data]

#ElonMusk’s posts serve as “merely a trigger mechanism” to his followers, Donovan said, often prompting them to scour social media profiles, look up information about a target’s family members, launch cyberattacks, lodge fake complaints with their employer, or flood people with texts & phone calls throughout the night.

After #ElonMusk purchased Twitter in 2022 & renamed it X, the site transformed. The billionaire cut the bulk of X’s trust & safety team & replaced professional fact-checking w/crowdsourced “Community Notes.” As Musk’s account has swelled to 217 million followers, he has the loudest online megaphone in #USpol — a megaphone further amplified by #algorithms tuned to prioritize his content in people’s feeds, said Joan Donovan, asst prof of #journalism at Boston U.

Long before #ElonMusk owned X, he used his personal account to name & shame individuals. In 2018, when #journalist Erin Biba wrote that #Musk attacked scientists & reporters, the #billionaire quipped that he has “never attacked science. Definitely attacked misleading journalism like yours tho.” The single remark triggered a torrent of emails, tweets & Instagram posts, Biba wrote, from what she called the “#MuskBros,” many w/sexually offensive remarks.

#StochasticTerrorism #power #hate