Trump Signs Executive Orders Targeting Former Officials and Law Firm -

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Washington, D.C., April 10, 2025:

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a series of executive orders targeting two former senior officials from his first administration and a prominent law firm, in what critics are calling a continuation of his sweeping campaign of political retribution.

The executive orders singled out Christopher Krebs, the former head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Miles Taylor, who served as chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security. Both men were vocal critics of Trump during and after his presidency. Krebs was fired by Trump in 2020 after publicly disputing false claims of widespread election fraud. Taylor gained notoriety after anonymously publishing a 2018 op-ed in The New York Times criticizing Trump’s leadership and later writing a book under his name.

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The orders, signed with considerable fanfare at the White House, direct Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to investigate Krebs and Taylor for alleged misconduct, including supposed unauthorized dissemination of classified materials. The White House also announced the revocation of their security clearances, along with those of their known associates — extending to personnel at the University of Pennsylvania, where Taylor teaches, and cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, where Krebs currently works.

Trump accused Krebs of misleading the public about the security of the 2020 election, calling him “a disgrace” and “the fraud.” Despite repeated debunkings of Trump’s election fraud claims, the executive order stated Krebs had inappropriately dismissed alleged vulnerabilities in voting systems.

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A third order targeted Susman Godfrey, the elite law firm that represented Dominion Voting Systems in a defamation lawsuit against Fox News, which resulted in a $787.5 million settlement in 2023. The order accused the firm of “weaponizing” the legal system and undermining election integrity, while also attacking the firm’s diversity efforts and client choices.

Susman Godfrey responded swiftly, calling the move “unconstitutional” and vowing to fight back in court.

In his statement, Taylor denounced the order against him as “expected,” warning of the country’s descent into authoritarianism. “Dissent isn’t unlawful. It certainly isn’t treasonous,” he wrote on social media. “America is headed down a dark path.”