President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at stripping security clearances and government ties to Perkins Coie, a major law firm that did work for Democrats during the 2016 campaign.
The order, which Trump signed in the Oval Office, directs the attorney general and director of national intelligence to “immediately take steps consistent with applicable law to suspend any active security clearances held by individuals at Perkins Coie, pending a review of whether such clearances are consistent with the national interest.”
The order additionally aims to cut off Perkins Coie employees’ access to federal government facilities and to review any contracts the federal government has with the law firm.
Perkins Coie represented Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016. During that campaign, lawyers at the firm worked with Fusion GPS, which was connected to the so-called Steele dossier. The dossier contained unflattering allegations about Trump and his connections to Russia.
Both Perkins Coie lawyers who worked on that case, Marc Elias and Michael Sussmann, left the law firm years ago.
“This is an absolute honor to sign,” Trump said Thursday. “What they’ve done is just terrible. It’s weaponization, you could say weaponization against a political opponent, and it should never be allowed to happen again.”
A Perkins Coie spokesperson said the firm has reviewed Trump’s order.
“It is patently unlawful, and we intend to challenge it,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Thursday’s action marks the second time in recent weeks Trump has carried out retribution against law firms with ties he disapproves of. The president late last month signed a memo suspending security clearances at the law firm Covington & Burling, which provided pro bono legal services to former special counsel Jack Smith in his personal capacity.
