Trump calls for defunding federal law enforcement agencies

Former President Trump on Wednesday called for federal law enforcement agencies to be defunded, comments that came one day after he was arraigned in a New York probe.

“REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS SHOULD DEFUND THE DOJ AND FBI UNTIL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, baselessly claiming that Democrats had “weaponized” law enforcement agencies.

Trump’s remarks came a day after he traveled to Manhattan court for his arraignment in relation to a probe conducted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) into Trump’s possible involvement in a hush money payment made during his 2016 campaign to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

During the arraignment, the former president pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts relating to what Bragg’s office described as “falsifying New York business records in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election.”

Recently, some of Trump’s allies, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), have called for agencies like the FBI to be defunded — a notable claim that comes as Republicans have attacked Democrats for wanting to defund the police in the wake of protests that erupted after George Floyd, a Black man, died under the knee of a white police officer.

The arraignment comes as Trump continues to lead in many 2024 GOP primary hypothetical matchups and as some candidates are still mulling their own bids. Many declared and presumed contenders came to the former president’s defense following last week’s news that Trump would be indicted.