A sharp exchange over the politicization of the Department of Justice (DOJ) has reignited scrutiny over cases involving President Donald Trump, as CNN and Fox Business hosts clashed over whether the Biden-Harris and Obama administrations engaged in political retribution.
On CNN, NewsNight host Abby Phillip said there was “no evidence that there was some top-down order of political retribution in either the Obama or the Biden administrations.”
“There is no evidence that there was some top down order of political retribution in either the Obama or the Biden administrations.”
I’m not sure how Abby Phillip said this with a straight face. pic.twitter.com/JEpdr5hz1b
— Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) August 23, 2025
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The comment was immediately challenged by Fox Business’ Evening Edit anchor Elizabeth MacDonald, who laid out a series of connections and reports contradicting Phillip’s assertion.
MacDonald noted that Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Special Counsel Jack Smith in November 2022 to lead two federal investigations into Trump, including the handling of classified documents and alleged election interference.
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She pointed out that Matt Colangelo, who had served as acting associate attorney general under Biden, left the Justice Department and joined Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s team, which brought forward charges tied to the Stormy Daniels case.
MacDonald also highlighted ties between Bragg’s political backers and the Biden-Harris administration, stating that Color of Change, a group supporting Bragg’s campaign, held at least 16 meetings at the Biden White House with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The Georgia election case was also cited. MacDonald pointed to reports that special prosecutor Nathan Wade met twice in 2022 with Biden officials at the White House for extended sessions lasting eight hours each time.
Wade was later hired by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to help prosecute Trump.
Additionally, the White House Counsel’s office sent two letters to Willis’s office in 2023 regarding “logistics and procedures” at the same time Willis was pursuing charges against Trump.
Politico previously reported that Biden grew frustrated with delays in Garland’s handling of Trump-related investigations.
According to the outlet, Biden “grumbled to aides and advisers that had [Garland] moved sooner” on Trump’s election interference case, “a trial may already be underway or even have concluded.”
During the 2024 campaign, Biden frequently referred to Trump as “a convicted felon,” including during his debate with Trump in June and at a Wisconsin rally shortly before the assassination attempt on Trump.
MacDonald cited those comments as evidence that Biden sought political advantage from the prosecutions.
MacDonald also noted the role of former President Barack Obama in approving the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment, which concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.
Critics later argued that the assessment relied in part on the unverified Steele dossier, which tied Trump to Moscow but was later discredited.
According to MacDonald, the inclusion of the dossier in the intelligence review was an example of political targeting, since it was central to the Democratic narrative alleging collusion between Trump and Russia.
CNN’s Abby Phillip says she has seen “no evidence” Biden’s DOJ was weaponized against Trump. Biden’s AG Merrick Garland appointed Special Counsel Jack Smith in Nov. 2022 specifically to open two federal investigations into Trump. Biden’s acting associate attorney general Matt… pic.twitter.com/IDC8KQd9UH
— Elizabeth MacDonald (@LizMacDonaldFOX) August 24, 2025
The exchange between CNN and Fox Business underscores the ongoing partisan divide over Trump-related investigations.
While Biden-Harris administration officials and Democratic allies have rejected claims of political motivation, Republicans continue to highlight documented connections, reports, and comments that suggest otherwise.
Trump has argued repeatedly that the investigations into him are politically driven, while supporters point to the series of legal cases across federal and state jurisdictions as evidence of what they call “lawfare” against the president.
The contrasting positions reflect broader disputes over the role of the DOJ, the intelligence community, and political influence, with critics pointing to both the Obama-era Russia probe and the Biden-era prosecutions as examples of targeting Trump for political purposes.
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