President Donald Trump has issued an executive order suspending security clearances held by lawyers at Perkins Coie, the law firm involved in funding the debunked Steele Dossier that played a key role in the 2016 Russia collusion narrative against him.
The executive order restricts federal agencies from hiring Perkins Coie lawyers, limits their access to classified materials, and requires government contractors to disclose any business dealings with the firm.
Trump cited Perkins Coie’s involvement in the funding and dissemination of the now-discredited dossier, which was used to obtain Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants against members of his 2016 campaign.
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“The dishonest and dangerous activity of the law firm Perkins Coie LLP has affected this country for decades,” Trump stated in the order.
“Notably, in 2016 while representing failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Perkins Coie hired Fusion GPS, which then manufactured a false ‘dossier’ designed to steal an election.”
I love to see Russia Hoax law firm Perkins Coie lose security clearances.
Hopefully I’ll get to report on Hillary Clinton going to prison from the White House next! pic.twitter.com/02XJ1x5y7s
— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) March 6, 2025
The order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to “immediately take steps to suspend any active security clearances held by individuals at Perkins Coie, pending a review of whether such clearances are consistent with the national interest.”
Marc Elias, a former Perkins Coie lawyer and general counsel for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, was instrumental in hiring Fusion GPS, which commissioned former British spy Christopher Steele to compile the dossier.
The FBI relied heavily on the unverified dossier to obtain FISA surveillance warrants against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation later found no evidence of criminal collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
An investigation by DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz also identified significant flaws in how the FBI handled the dossier, noting that it played a “central and essential role” in justifying the surveillance.
Perkins Coie (DNC Law firm) was responsible for:
— Russia-Collusion Hoax
— Alpha Bank Hoax
— Hired Fusion GPS
— Hired Christopher Steele & his Dossier
— Election law changes
— FBI workspace onsite – likely access to NSA Systems
— Marc Elias & Michael SussmannShut it Off https://t.co/1zwWYOFOYx
— Jeff Carlson (@themarketswork) March 6, 2025
Trump’s order prevents government agencies from hiring Perkins Coie lawyers without a waiver stating that such hires would “not threaten national security.”
It also calls for federal agencies to limit Perkins Coie’s access to federal buildings and Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs).
In addition, government contractors must now disclose any business dealings with Perkins Coie to prevent federal dollars from being used to support political operations like those that led to the creation of the Steele Dossier.
The executive order also cites Perkins Coie’s involvement in election-related lawsuits, alleging that the firm worked with “activist donors including George Soros” to overturn voter ID laws and other election integrity measures.
In 2021, Elias and other Perkins Coie attorneys were sanctioned by federal appeals court judges for submitting a “redundant and misleading” filing in a case challenging a state law banning straight-ticket voting.
Elias later left Perkins Coie to form Elias Law Group, which continues to be involved in Democratic election litigation.
Special counsel John Durham’s probe into the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation further discredited the Steele Dossier and led to indictments against Igor Danchenko, Steele’s primary source, and Michael Sussmann, a former Perkins Coie attorney.
Durham’s investigation found that Sussmann provided false information to the FBI, alleging a secret Trump-Russia communications channel via Alfa Bank, a claim that was later debunked.
Sussmann was later acquitted, but the trial revealed that he had special badge access to FBI headquarters while working at Perkins Coie.
In 2022, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, revealing that since 2012, Perkins Coie had been given a “Secure Work Environment” inside its Washington, D.C., office, allowing employees access to FBI systems.
Jordan noted that Sussmann had access to this Secure Work Environment and raised concerns about the firm’s close ties to federal law enforcement.
Trump’s order requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to identify all government resources—including classified facilities—used by Perkins Coie and directs federal agencies to “expeditiously cease” any such arrangements.
By restricting Perkins Coie’s access to classified materials, federal contracts, and government facilities, Trump’s executive order aims to prevent further political weaponization of federal agencies and election-related legal maneuvering.
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