President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that would rescind security clearances and access to certain federal resources for Perkins Coie, the law firm that hired the company responsible for crafting the so-called “Steele dossier” containing alleged salacious material and Trump’s alleged connections to Russia, which the president has denied.
“This is an absolute honor to sign,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “What they’ve done, it’s just terrible. It’s weaponization, you could say weaponization against a political opponent, and it should never be allowed to happen again.”
Specifically, the executive order suspends security clearances for Perkins Coie employees until a further review evaluating its access to sensitive information is complete to determine if it aligns with the national interest.
Additionally, the order cuts off access to sensitive compartmented information facilities for Perkins Coie employees, and will limit the company’s access to government employees. Additionally, the order bars the federal government from hiring Perkins Coie employees without specific authorization.
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The FBI used the Trump dossier to apply for surveillance warrants against former Trump adviser Carter Page, according to the Department of Justice inspector general. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Likewise, the federal government is prohibited from hiring contractors that use the law firm, amid a review of all federal contracts associated with Perkins Coie that agency heads will be ordered to terminate to the fullest extent lawfully permitted.
The international law firm represented Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee in the 2016 election, and former President Joe Biden after Trump challenged Biden’s win in the 2020 election.
Perkins Coie first came under scrutiny after Marc Elias, the former chair of the…
