How Trump’s 'revenge fantasies' are running 'into reality'

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to the media, in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington D.C., June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo/File Photo

During Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, many of his critics warned that if he won the election and returned to the White House, he would politicize the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI and use them as tools of revenge against his opponents. And Trump, as predicted, put staunch MAGA loyalists in church of federal law enforcement — including U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino.

But according to Politico's Kyle Cheney, Trump's "revenge fantasies" are getting a major dose of "reality."

Cheney, in an article published on August 8, reports, "It's a familiar refrain for Trump's second term: The far right lusts to see prominent Democrats or Trump adversaries hauled off in handcuffs, only to be let down when their revenge fantasies run into reality….. This cycle — impetuous promises of criminal consequences followed by dejection when Trump's enemies aren't immediately arrested — has already happened with (former special counsel) Jack Smith, with (former FBI Director) James Comey, even with (former Presidents) Joe Biden and Barack Obama, and their top advisers."

The Politico reporter adds, "The Trump Administration has ordered investigations of all these figures, but legal experts say the probes are largely performative and unlikely to prompt serious or legitimate criminal charges."

Criminal defense lawyer Gene Rossi told Politico that Trump's hardcore MAGA base "voted for" revenge but "now realize they can't have retribution because it's not legally sound."

Cheney explains, "Ever since (Trump) returned to office, administration officials and influential MAGA figures have suggested that high-profile arrests are justified and imminent, often vowing that 'justice is coming'…. A cascade of Trump’s influential backers have wondered aloud why the president and his Justice Department have not delivered the arrests and indictments they crave."

The Politico journalist notes that although Trump "has ordered the Justice Department to investigate former Department of Homeland Security official Miles Taylor and former cybersecurity chief Chris Krebs," his "base wants more."

Ty Cobb, a former Trump lawyer who is now a scathing critic of him, told Politico, "There isn't really a plan, and he doesn't see, look for or care about a bigger picture. Courts will disrupt or halt many of these nascent efforts as they mature, but that is fine with him too, as it helps further discredit the courts in the eyes of his followers and weakens democracy even more. It is all such a waste."

Read the full Politico article at this link.