[Photo Eric Lee for the New York Times.]
A banner featuring a photo of Donald Trump and the words “Make America Safe Again” was hung from the Justice Department’s headquarters in Washington on Thursday in one of the most public signs of the president’s influence over a department that once brought criminal charges against him.
The Justice Department has traditionally operated with a degree of independence from the White House. That separation, however, has eroded during Trump’s second term as the Justice Department has gone after his perceived political foes. — Raquel Coronell Uribe and NBC News
The separation disappeared on January 20, 2025. Only the banner, celebrating Trump’s thumb on the DOJ and mocking the rule of law, is new.