Trump and the DOJ's independence

President's Trump's latest move to force out a US attorney in Virginia is, once again, raising concerns about politicizing the Department of Justice. Those worries were amplified when the president, in a social media post, explicitly told his attorney general to investigate his political opponents. CBS's Justice Correspondent Scott MacFarlane joins me now. So, Scott, tell me about this US attorney in Virginia. What's the deal there?

It's interesting, in part, because John, odds are you don't know the name of the US attorney who represents your community. But I can tell you, that person, whoever he or she is, one of the most powerful people in the region. They can launch an FBI investigation. They approve of when the Feds file criminal cases, and in Virginia, the top federal prosecutor appointed, just in January, by President Trump has been ousted by Trump. The president says, John, it's because that attorney had too much support from the Democratic senators in Virginia. But the accusation is that US Attorney Eric Siebert wouldn't move forward with criminal cases against some of Trump's top political opponents. So staying on that idea of prosecuting his political opponents, he posted this message on social media over the weekend, strongly encouraging his attorney general. Walk us through what happened there. In a Truth Social post, the president unilaterally named Attorney General Pam Bondi and called for her to serve Justice and move forward with cases against three of those political opponents, California Senator Adam Schiff, New York Attorney General Letitia James. James Comey, former FBI Director for misconduct. All three deny, but calling out the attorney general of the United States, and demanding or requesting a prosecution, that's a provocative move, a controversial move, John. That shatters the image of independence between the Justice Department and the political leaders of an administration. And yes, without precedent. And so, remind people, though, we say things are without precedent. Why is that wall so important or has been considered important in the past, between the president and his attorney general? Yeah, it's been there for about 40 years, since after the Nixon era, in part, because you want the Department of Justice to have the credibility that it's apolitical. But also, John, think of that Truth Social post. Think of what a defense lawyer could do with that, if he were to walk into court and show it to a jury and say, this is why my client was prosecuted, not because he or she committed a crime. Right, making the case that it's about politics, not about actual evidence. Scott MacFarlane, thank you.