Donald Trump was compared to Saddam Hussein ahead of his visit to the Department of Justice—an agency he has stripped of workers since his inauguration.
Christopher O’Leary, a former senior executive at the FBI’s counterterrorism division, went on MSNBC to talk about Trump whittling down agencies until all workers are docile.
“I like to point people back to Saddam Hussein in 1979. There’s a famous clip where he actually brings a bunch of people into a theater and talks about a conspiracy against him, and starts reading out 58 names of people who were conspiring against him,” O’Leary said on the network. “When you start using intimidation and coercion to go after any group of people, sooner or later, you’re going to get down to a group that’s going to be compliant.”
When Hussein called their names at the time during the videotaped meeting, people were escorted out by officials one by one.
During Trump’s speech on Friday, he talked about how he has been politically attacked, and called CNN and MSNBC “illegal” and “political arms of the Democrat party.”
“I will insist upon and demand full and complete accountability for the wrongs and abuses that have occurred. The American people have given us a mandate—a mandate like few people thought possible,” Trump said.
He also criticized Ukraine as the public spat between the two presidents continues.
“First of all, you don’t want to pick on somebody that’s a lot larger than you,” Trump said of the war-ridden country. “There’s a lot of money that we gave them and a lot of equipment.”
Since Trump was sworn in, the Department of Justice has faced both firings and resignations. In January, dozens of officials who investigated Trump were terminated.
“I think the FBI is going to stand up for justice and integrity,” O’Leary said. “Like it’s done throughout its history.”
