"His statement was roundly criticised by Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer who said "this is the path to a dictatorship".

"The justice department has always been a very, very strong civil service, no matter who was in charge, a Democrat or Republican. They went after law violators without fear or favour," he told CNN on Sunday.

"He's turning it into an instrument that goes after his enemies, whether they're guilty or not," he said of the president.

Asked about his comments on Sunday, Trump said: "They have to act. They have to act fast."

;;
His contempt for the Law is obvious; his partisan prosecutions are Putinesque.