Trump Urges Department of Justice and FBI Budgets to be Cut, Day After He Lives Indictment Trial

Donald Trum. (Instagram/@realdonaldtrump)

JAKARTA - Former United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday asked his Republican counterparts in Congress to cut the budgets of the US Department of Justice and the FBI, one day after pleading not guilty in New York to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Trump, who plans to run for President in 2024, is taking aim at federal law enforcement authorities even though the criminal charges against him, the first ever brought against a former or sitting president, were not brought by them but by Manhattan district attorneys.

But on the other hand, Trump faces two Justice Department criminal investigations led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by US Attorney General Merrick Garland. Both seem to be improving in recent months.

"REPUBLICAN IN CONGRESS SHOULD CHEAT DOJ AND FBI FUNDS UNTIL THEY REALIZE COMMON Sense," Trump wrote on his social media platform, published by Reuters, April 6. DOJ stands for Department of Justice.

Trump's proposal is unlikely to be heeded by Congress, with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans leading the House. It would also be a sea change for Republicans, who in the past have espoused strong funding for law enforcement and have criticized proposals by some on the left in recent years to "cut funds" for local police departments.

Previously, Republicans in Congress had called for sharp federal spending cuts in exchange for a vote to raise the US debt ceiling, but have yet to put forward any specific proposals.

While the FBI, part of the Department of Justice, is the US homeland security and intelligence agency. The current FBI director Christopher Wray, was appointed directly by Trump, after sacking the previous chief, James Comey in 2017.

Trump is known to have supported increased spending for the Justice Department while in office from 2017 to 2021. His budget increased 4 percent during that time to $38.7 billion, White House data shows.

One of the special counsel's investigations focused on attempts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election results won by Democratic President Joe Biden.

Another of Smith's investigations focused on classified documents Trump kept after leaving office.

Separately, the FBI on Wednesday declined to comment on Trump's remarks. Likewise, the Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment.

Nor will the reduced funding for federal law enforcement affect another criminal investigation into Trump led by a prosecutor in Georgia, which is focused on whether he illegally sought to overturn his 2020 election loss in that state.

The Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Trump on Tuesday with 34 felony counts of forging business records, alleging that he arranged payments to two women before the 2016 election to suppress publicity of their sexual encounters with him.

Prosecutors said the payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal were an attempt to hide violations of election laws.

Trump and his allies accuse Bragg, a Democrat, of pursuing the suit for political reasons. Bragg, in his comments after the charges were filed on Tuesday, said he had a responsibility to ensure everyone was equal before the law.

Trump appeared at an impeachment hearing in New York on Tuesday before flying back to his Florida home to make a public statement. He declared himself a victim of election interference, without providing any evidence.

Meanwhile, the judge in the Manhattan case, Juan Merchan, has set Trump's next hearing to be held on December 4.