President Donald Trump accidentally posted what he believed was a private message to Attorney General Pam Bondi on his Truth Social account, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. The September 20 post, which addressed Bondi directly and demanded the prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey and other political opponents, was meant to be a direct message but instead went public to Trump’s 10.8 million followers.
In the post, Trump wrote: “Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, ‘same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.” The message also included: “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility.”
Former federal prosecutor Preet Bharara told MSNBC that this could pose “a big problem, legally and substantively” for Trump and the Department of Justice. He said the accidental post could give Comey and others “viable motions to dismiss indictments.” Five days after Trump’s public post, a federal grand jury indicted Comey on two felony counts related to testimony he gave in 2020. As per Yahoo News, Comey pleaded not guilty to charges of making a false statement and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.
Trump’s Texting Mistake Could Destroy The Entire Case Against Comey
Aaron Blake said that if the Journal’s reporting is right, “it’s not inconceivable that an errant DM from Trump could be a big reason why Comey’s case is dismissed for vindictive prosecution.” Comey’s lawyers are planning to file motions to dismiss the case. They say the charges were brought because of political reasons, not legal ones. While these types of motions don’t usually work, legal experts say Comey has a better chance than most because Trump has been publicly hostile toward him for years.
Bharara said the accidental post shows that more private messages between Trump and Justice Department officials probably exist. If Comey’s defense team gets these messages during the legal process, it could be “very, very bad for the prosecution,” Bharara said. Things could get even worse if any messages were deleted. Courts can assume that destroyed evidence would have been bad for whoever destroyed it.
Trump thought he had sent the message directly to Bondi and was surprised when he found out it had been posted publicly, according to U.S. officials cited by the Journal. After he realized the mistake, Bondi called White House aides and Trump. The president then posted a second message praising Bondi, saying she was doing a “GREAT job” as Attorney General.
The indictment came after Trump forced out Erik Siebert, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who had said no to bringing charges against Comey. Trump replaced him with Lindsey Halligan, his former personal attorney who has never worked as a prosecutor before. The indictment has raised worries that Trump is using the Justice Department to target political opponents, like other ongoing investigations into Democrats such as Andrew Cuomo. Comey’s trial is set to start in January.
Published: Oct 9, 2025 11:55 am