A giant banner bearing President Trump’s face now hangs in front of the Justice Department headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The signage, posted on the exterior of the Robert F. Kennedy Building, is consistent with the president’s efforts to make himself omnipresent in the nation’s capital, where his name has also been added to the wall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The banner outside the DOJ is similar to displays that were previously hung in front of the Department of Agriculture and Department of Labor. It also comes amid concerns that the historically independent Justice Department is serving as an extension to Trump’s White House.
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When called before Congress last week to address questions about the DOJ’s handling of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein — a friend of Trump years before he was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges — Attorney General Pam Bondi continually boasted about the president’s achievements with her back turned to the victims in attendance.
“You sit here and you attack the president and I’m not going to have it,” Bondi shouted at lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee.
The DOJ under the Trump administration has also been used to investigate the president’s personal and political rivals, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey and numerous Democratic lawmakers.
In September, the president asked Bondi in a social media post why she hadn’t prosecuted James, Comey or California Sen. Adam Schiff.
“JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!” Trump demanded of those figures, who were soon after targeted.
The DOJ explained its new banner in a statement on Thursday, saying the department is celebrating “250 years of our great country and our historic work to make America safe again at President Trump’s direction.”
The banner reads “Made America Safe Again” — a twist on Trump’s trademarked “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.
The new signage, which hangs in front of the building named for the 64th U.S. attorney general, will likely be seen by many as another affront to the Kennedy family.
In addition to renaming the Kennedy Center, Trump is currently in the process of having Air Force One repainted red, white, navy blue and gold, replacing the white and robin’s egg blue chosen by the 35th president prior to his assassination.
Trump has also heavily reduced the White House Rose Garden curated in 1962 by Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in order to build his new ballroom.
Trump even suggested last week that Manhattan’s Penn Station and D.C.’s Dulles International Airport should bear his name in exchange for federal funding, according to NBC News.
His family’s Trump Organization has filed for exclusive trademark rights to use the president’s name on airports and related property and products, including shuttle buses and travel bags. The organization said it would not seek to profit from controlling those naming rights — at least when it comes to the proposed renaming of the Palm Beach Airport near his Mar-a-Lago estate.
With News Wire Service
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