President Donald Trump issued an executive order Wednesday targeting the law firm Perkins Coie LLP, directing federal agencies to suspend security clearances for its employees, review contracts linked to the firm, and investigate its hiring practices for alleged racial discrimination.
Perkins Coie, long a major legal power in Washington’s Democratic circles, rose to national attention for its role in helping promulgate and spread the debunked Christopher Steele dossier that was used to attack President Trump throughout the 2016 presidential campaign and during his first term in office.
During Trump’s first campaign for office, Perkins Coie was paid by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Hillary Clinton for legal services. Those services effectively involved Perkins Coie serving as a cutout that funneled money to Fusion GPS, an opposition research firm that hired ex-British spy Christopher Steele to create a series of memos that became known as the Steele Dossier.
The dossier the DNC and Clinton paid for through Perkins Coie was full of salacious and unverified information, none of which has ever been proven, including the claim that Trump once rented a hotel room in Russia and paid prostitutes to urinate on a bed.
In the memo cutting off the Democratic law firms security clearances, Trump accused Perkins Coie of engaging in “dishonest and dangerous activity” and cited its work for Clinton.
In addition to mentioning the law firms controversial trafficking in political smears, Trump also referred to a 2023 lawsuit alleging that Perkins Coie’s “Diversity Fellowship Program” engaged in racist and discriminatory practices under the banner of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” programming.
“My Administration is committed to ending discrimination under ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies and ensuring that Federal benefits support the laws and policies of the United States,” Trump wrote in the order. He argued that entities engaging in “blatant race-based and sex-based discrimination, including quotas” should not be entrusted with federal funds or classified information.
The executive order directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to review the hiring and promotion policies of major law firms for compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws. The Department of Justice, in coordination with the EEOC, is also tasked with investigating Perkins Coie and similar firms for potential violations, specifically examining whether they have engaged in race-based hiring and promotion practices.
Under the order, the Attorney General, Director of National Intelligence, and all Trump agency heads must immediately review and suspend any active security clearances held by individuals at Perkins Coie. Additionally, the Office of Management and Budget is tasked with identifying federal resources, such as access to government buildings and Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs), provided to the firm and taking steps to revoke them.
Federal agencies are instructed to assess and, where legally permissible, terminate government contracts involving Perkins Coie. The order also mandates that all government contractors disclose any business ties to the firm and that agency heads align funding decisions with Trump’s broader agenda, including Executive Order 14147, which addresses the “weaponization” of the federal government.
The move is nothing short than a multi-pronged attack on a key Democratic Party power player, but it’s unclear just how much it will affect the law firm’s financial bottom line.
MAGA doing right for America!
I wish some sort of legal jeopardy could fall on Hillary Clinton’s head .
She is one of the most despicable democrats that has ever lived .
Payback is a bitch .
Why in the john deere fuck do they or any other privet law firm have security clearances?
Why do they even have security clearances?
Oh. Now she’s on board, eh? Just brilliant!
Every one has clearance!