RETRIBUTION ROUNDUP

Bannon Warns Trump Is Still Working Through His Enemies List

Conservative firebrand Steve Bannon said more investigations are on the way.

Right-wing commentator Steve Bannon has claimed that Donald Trump going after his political enemies is far from over.

The close Trump ally spoke to Reuters as it reported on Wednesday that at least 470 individuals and entities have already been targeted under Trump’s leadership since he returned to office for a second term.

Bannon argued that using the government to punish perceived enemies is “not revenge at all” for what he called unfair investigations of Trump.

“The people that tried to take away President Trump’s first term, that accused him of being a Russian asset and damaged this republic, and then stole the 2020 election,” he told Reuters. “They’re going to be held accountable, and they’re going to be adjudicated in courts of law.”

“That’s coming. There’s no doubt,” Bannon added.

There is no evidence that the 2020 election against Joe Biden was stolen.

However, Bannon’s claim about “accountability” is similar to the argument made just this week by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt after the cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James were dismissed.

The Reuters analysis found that of the 470 people, organizations and institutions that have been targeted since Trump took office, some were individuals singled out by name, while others were caught up in broader purges.

Among those facing retribution, at least 247 were individuals and entities targeted by name either by the president, his team or in documents.

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Another 224 people were swept up in broader retribution efforts, including nearly 100 prosecutors and FBI agents fired or forced to retire for working on cases connected to Trump and his allies or for being deemed “woke.”

The analysis did not include foreign individuals, institutions or governments.

The report also found that the retribution showed up in three forms, such as punitive acts, threats and coercion, like demanding universities end diversity initiatives or face funding cuts.

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The White House on Wednesday pushed back on the Reuters analysis and suggestions that Trump was carrying out a retribution campaign.

“That entire article is based on the flawed premise that enforcing an electoral mandate is somehow ‘retribution.’ It’s not,” said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson in a statement. “President Trump was overwhelmingly elected to implement an America-First agenda, restore accountability to our justice system after Biden weaponized it against political opponents, ensure taxpayer funding is not going to partisan causes, and more.”

She also argued that career government officials “who actively seek to undermine the agenda that the American people elected the President to enact have no place serving the American public.”

The Reuters tracking showed that of the at least 470 targeted, 269 were federal officials, 104 were former officials, 29 were law firms, 11 were state and local officials, 10 were universities, nine were media, six were corporations and five were state or local governments.

Despite the White House arguing it was not “retribution,” Trump openly campaigned on a promise of revenge during the 2024 race for the White House.

“For those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution,” he declared during a March 2023 speech.

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Sarah Ewall-WicePolitical Reporter

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