Trump halts security clearance for employees with Steele dossier-linked Perkins Coie

President Donald Trump joyously signed an executive order (EO) Thursday that suspended the security clearances of the employees at the disgraced firm Perkins Coie.

Prior to the 2016 presidential election, the Democrat National Committee (DNC) and then-Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton gave Perkins Coie over $1 million to conduct opposition research on then-GOP presidential nominee Trump.

Perkins Coie then funneled that money to Fusion GPS, which in turn used it to hire disgraced former British spy Christopher Steele to write the infamous Steele dossier.

President Trump’s Administration will not tolerate Perkins Coie LLP’s unethical and discriminatory actions that threaten our elections, military strength, and national security.

— In 2016, Perkins Coie LLP hired Fusion GPS to manufacture a false “dossier” designed to steal an…

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 6, 2025

Perkins Coie was reportedly also responsible for the Alfa Bank smear.

Attorney Michael Sussman was a Perkins Coie lawyer who, while also working for Clinton’s 2016 campaign, colluded with a “tech executive” at an “Internet company” to intercept and access Trump’s internet traffic data.

After obtaining dirt on Trump, Sussmann then forwarded the illegally obtained data to the FBI and claimed it showed “evidence of a covert communications channel between computer servers associated with the Trump Organization and with Alfa Bank,” as reported by The New York Times.

Alfa Bank is a Kremlin-linked Russian financial institution.

Perkins Coie has continued its anti-Trump crusade to this day.

“In recent weeks, the firm has joined many other lawyers who are opposing the administration’s actions publicly in court,” according to CNN. “Half a dozen Perkins Coie attorneys are working on a case challenging Trump’s ban on trans service members.”

Naturally, Trump was thrilled to sign an EO suspending the firm’s security clearances.

“This is an absolute honor to sign,” he 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.”

Watch:

NEW: President Donald J. Trump signs an executive order suspending the security clearances for employees at Perkins Coie — which played a key role in the Russia hoax.

“This is an absolute honor to sign.” pic.twitter.com/0twjGR6lwO

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 6, 2025

The firm wasn’t pleased with the executive order.

“We have reviewed the Executive Order. It is patently unlawful, and we intend to challenge it,” a Perkins Coie spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.

The left-wing American Bar Association (ABA) also lashed out.

“Lawyers must be free to represent clients and perform their ethical duty without fear of retribution,” ABA president William R. Bay said in a statement. “We reject the notion that the government can punish lawyers who represent certain clients or punish judges who rule certain ways. We cannot accept government actions that seek to tip the scales of justice in this manner.”

The ABA rejects efforts to undermine the courts and the legal profession. Read full message: https://t.co/2hP26TNsGz pic.twitter.com/owTY7y4zRj

— American Bar Association (@ABAesq) March 3, 2025

In addition to suspending the security clearances of Perkins Coie employees, the executive order signed Thursday also directs the heads of federal agencies to limit said employees’ access to federal buildings “when such access would threaten the national security of or otherwise be inconsistent with the interests of the United States.”

The order also seeks to block agencies from hiring any of the firm’s employees.

The order further calls for the federal government to review Perkin Coie’s hiring practices to see if they’ve unfairly discriminated against anyone.

The review will determine whether firms such as Perkins Coie “reserve certain positions, such as summer associate spots, for individuals of preferred races; promote individuals on a discriminatory basis; permit client access on a discriminatory basis; or provide access to events, trainings or travel on a discriminatory basis.”

The firm is reportedly a proponent of so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

According to The White House’s Rapid Response team on Twitter/X, the firm has “publicly announced racial percentage quotas for hiring and promotions, violating civil rights laws, and excluded applicants from fellowships based on race until lawsuits forced change.”

All this comes a few weeks after Trump signed a memorandum seeking to strip clearances and contacts from Covington & Burling, a firm that performed pro bono legal work for former special counsel Jack Smith.

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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