Trump orders Justice Department to investigate former officials who opposed him
Donald Trump, President of the United States of America (photo: Getty Images)
Donald Trump has directed the US Department of Justice to investigate two former officials from his own administration who publicly opposed him, reports The Guardian.
Miles Taylor targeted for anonymous criticism and book publication
On Wednesday, President Trump signed a memorandum demanding an investigation into Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security.
Taylor, who gained notoriety in 2018 as the anonymous author of the New York Times op-ed "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration", had later revealed his identity and published a follow-up book titled A Warning.
Trump accused him of leaking classified information and branded him a "traitor", stating from the Oval Office:
"I said, who the hell is Miles Taylor? … He wrote a book, Anonymous, said all sorts of lies and bad things. I think it’s like a traitor. It’s like spying."
Taylor responded on X, saying that Trump's actions only confirmed his warnings:
"I said this would happen. Dissent isn’t unlawful. It certainly isn’t treasonous. America is headed down a dark path. Never has a man so inelegantly proved another man’s point."
Chris Krebs under fire for refuting Trump’s election fraud claims
Trump also ordered an investigation into Chris Krebs, the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, who publicly stated the 2020 election was secure. Krebs had been fired shortly after contradicting Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud.
Trump accused Krebs of suppressing free speech and helping rig the election:
"He said this is the most secure election in the history of our country. No, this was a disaster… He’s a disgrace. So we’ll find out whether or not it was a safe election and, if it wasn’t, he’s got a big price to pay."
Retribution echoes 2024 crimes
The crackdown comes amid a flurry of Trump executive actions and a wider narrative of "retribution" against opponents.
It echoes revelations from October 2024, when an AP report cited by Special Counsel Jack Smith described Trump’s post-2020 conduct as criminal.
"When the defendant lost the 2020 presidential election, he resorted to crimes to try to stay in office," read a court filing, adding that Trump knowingly spread lies and attempted to sow chaos to overturn the results.
