Judge blocks Trump effort to strip security clearance from attorney who represented whistleblowers
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a March presidential memorandum to revoke the security clearance of a prominent Washington lawyer Mark ZaidHe decided that the decision targeting 14 people could not be applied to him.
The decision marked the administration’s second legal defeat on Tuesday, after the Supreme Court refused to allow Trump to deploy National Guard troops to the Chicago area; This is part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to impose a comprehensive agenda and seek revenge Investigations against political rivals have been repeatedly slowed down by the courts.
U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in Washington granted Zaid’s request for a preliminary injunction after he sued the Trump administration in May over the revocation of his security clearance. Zaid’s request called it an act of “improper political revenge” that jeopardized his ability to continue representing clients in sensitive national security cases.
The March presidential memorandum singled out Zaid and 14 others who the White House argued were inappropriate for them to keep their leave because it was “no longer in the national interest.” The list included targets of Trump’s anger in both political and legal areas. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, New York Attorney General Letitia Jamesformer President Joe Biden and family members.
It was part of the action a much broader revenge campaign Those actions Trump has taken since returning to the White House include directing special Justice Department investigations against perceived enemies and issuing sweeping executive orders targeting law firms for legal work he dislikes.
in augustThe Trump administration said it revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials. cancellation order Removing warrants has been a favored punitive tactic that Trump has used, or at least attempted to use, against high-profile political figures, lawyers and intelligence officials during his second term.
Zaid said in his case that he has been representing clients across the political spectrum, including government officials, law enforcement, military officials and whistleblowers, for nearly 35 years. In 2019, he represented an intelligence community whistleblower who reported a conversation between them. Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy He helped lay the groundwork for the first of two impeachment trials filed against Trump in his first term.
“This court joins several other courts in prohibiting the government from using the immediate revocation of security clearances to punish lawyers who represent people opposed to it,” Ali wrote in his order. he wrote.
Ali emphasized that his order did not prevent the government from revoking or suspending Zaid’s permit for reasons independent of the presidential memorandum and through normal institutional processes. The injunction will not go into effect until January 13.
“This is not just a victory for me, it is an indictment of the Trump administration’s attempts to intimidate and silence the legal community, especially lawyers who represent people who dare to question or hold this government accountable,” Zaid said in a statement.
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Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker contributed to this report.
