Shakir says Trump only looking out for "own self interest"
Faiz Shakir, an adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), said Sunday that President Trump is solely concerned with his “own self-interest.”
“This is a person who’s looking out purely for their own self-interest, self preservation,” Shakir said on “ABC’s This Week.” “Me, Trump, my cronyism, go and defend my personal interests, dear Department of Justice, dear IRS, dear Fed Reserve. Whatever it is I want, you are supposed to do.”
On Saturday, the president called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute the likes of former FBI Director James Comey, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D).
Hours later, he appointed White House aide Lindsey Halligan to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Erik Siebert, the previous U.S. Attorney, resigned on Friday after facing backlash from the administration for not finding sufficient evidence to charge James with mortgage fraud.
That came after ABC and Disney indefinitely suspended late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday for his comments mocking how Trump and conservatives were reacting to the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk. Earlier that day, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr pushed broadcasters to consider whether Kimmel’s comments are, “something that we think serves the needs of our local communities.”
“That’s what’s being governed here,” Shakir added. “This is in the interest of Trump.”
Shakir’s fellow panelist, Sarah Isgur, argued the solution is to limit “the power of the presidency.” Isgur, a former DOJ spokesperson during Trump’s first term, referenced the IRS investigating Tea Party-affiliated groups under President Obama and Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg saying the Biden administration pressured Facebook to censor content related to COVID-19.
“We should be talking about the power of the presidency, because frankly, there is no legislation that is going to prevent abuses of power by the president,” Isgur said. “We have to take away that power.”