WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� A former Homeland Security official during President Donald Trump's first administration who authored sharply critical of the president is calling on independent government watchdogs to investigate after Trump ordered the department to look into his government service.
, once chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security, warned in an interview with The Associated Press of the far-reaching implications of , 鈥淎ddressing Risks Associated with an Egregious Leaker and Disseminator of Falsehoods,鈥� when it comes to suppressing criticism of the president. That memo accused Taylor of concocting stories to sell his book and directed the secretary of Homeland Security and other government agencies to look into Taylor and strip him of any security clearances.
Taylor sent via email to inspectors general at the departments of Justice and Homeland Security on Tuesday. Later in the day, the White House dismissed the complaint, calling Taylor a 鈥渂ad-faith actor.鈥�
Coming on the same April day that Trump also ordered an investigation into Chris Krebs, a former top cybersecurity official, illustrated how Trump has sought to use the powers of the presidency against his adversaries. Speaking to the AP, Taylor said the order targeting him sets a 鈥渟cary precedent" and that's why he decided to call on the inspectors general to investigate.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 commit any crime, and that鈥檚 what鈥檚 extraordinary about this. I can鈥檛 think of any case where someone knows they鈥檙e being investigated but has absolutely no idea what crime they allegedly committed. And it鈥檚 because I didn鈥檛,鈥� Taylor said. He called it a 鈥渞eally, really, really scary precedent to have set is that the president of the United States can now sign an order investigating any private citizen he wants, any critic, any foe, anyone."
Trump has targeted adversaries since he took office
Since taking office again in January, Trump has from a number of his opponents. But Trump鈥檚 order for an investigation into Taylor, as well as Krebs, marked an escalation of his in his second term.
Trump fired Krebs, who directed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in November 2020 after Krebs disputed and vouched for , which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Taylor left the first Trump administration in 2019. In the anonymous New York Times op-ed published in 2018, he described himself as part of to counter Trump鈥檚 鈥渕isguided impulses." The op-ed's publication touched off in Trump鈥檚 first White House.
Taylor later published a book by the same name as the op-ed and then another book under his own name called 鈥淏lowback," which warned about Trump's return to office.
After signing the memorandum April 9, Trump said Taylor was likely 鈥済uilty of treason."
In a statement Tuesday, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Taylor betrayed the American people by 鈥渄isclosing sensitive information through unauthorized methods鈥� and didn't deserve a security clearance.
鈥淢iles Taylor is a bad-faith actor who weaponized and abused his government position to prioritize his own ambition, personal notoriety, and monetary gain over keeping his constitutional oath," Jackson said.
The letter by Taylor's lawyer to the inspectors general calls Trump's actions 鈥渦nprecedented in American history.鈥�
鈥淭he Memorandum does not identify any specific wrongdoing. Rather, it flagrantly targets Mr. Taylor for one reason alone: He dared to speak out to criticize the President,鈥� the letter reads.
Taylor's lawyer, , said the request to the inspectors general was an attempt to 鈥済et the administration to do the right thing.鈥� Lowell said that depending on the outcome of their complaint, they'll explore other options including a possible lawsuit. Lowell, a veteran Washington lawyer, announced earlier this year that he was opening his own legal practice and would represent targets of Trump鈥檚 retribution.
Violation of First Amendment rights alleged
In the letter, Lowell calls on the inspectors general to do their jobs of 鈥渁ddressing and preventing abuses of power.鈥�
The letter says Trump's April 9 memo appears to violate Taylor's First Amendment rights by going after Taylor for his criticism of the president, calling it a 鈥渢extbook definition of political retribution and vindictive prosecution.鈥� And, according to the letter, Trump's memo also appears to violate Taylor's Fifth Amendment due process rights.
The letter highlights Taylor's 鈥渉onorable and exemplary鈥� work service including receiving the Distinguished Service Medal upon leaving the department, and it details the toll that the April 9 memorandum has taken on Taylor's personal life. His family has been threatened and harassed, and former colleagues lost their government jobs because of their connection with him, according to the letter.
Taylor told the AP that since the order, there's been an 鈥渋mplosion in our lives.鈥� He said he started a fund to pay for legal fees, has had to step away from work and his wife has gone back to work to help pay the family's bills. Their home's location was published on the internet in a doxxing.
Taylor said that by filing these complaints with the inspectors general, he's anticipating that the pressure on him and his family will increase. He said they spent the last few weeks debating what to do after the April 9 memorandum and decided to fight back.
鈥淭he alternative is staying silent, cowering and capitulating and sending the message that, yes, there鈥檚 no consequences for this president and this administration in abusing their powers in ways that my legal team believes and a lot of legal scholars tell me is unconstitutional and illegal,鈥� Taylor said.
Rebecca Santana, The Associated Press
