Trump Order on 'Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government'
The order promises “accountability for the previous administration’s weaponization of the Federal Government against the American people.”
Published by The Lawfare Institute
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Among the slate of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump in the hours following his Jan. 20 inauguration is an order on “Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government.” The order points to “weaponization” of government by the previous administration, including examples like the prosecution of over 1,500 rioters who breached Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. It promises to “identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the Federal Government” and “ensure accountability for the previous administration’s weaponization of the Federal Government against the American people.”
In practice, the order does not appear to have any immediate effect. Instead, it directs both the attorney general and the director of national intelligence to review the activities over the last four years of “all departments and agencies exercising civil or criminal enforcement authority” (in the case of the attorney general) and the intelligence community (in the case of the director of national intelligence). Both individuals are ordered to prepare a report for the president—without any specified deadline—on any instances of conduct that “appears to have been contrary to the purposes and policies of this order,” along with “recommendations for appropriate remedial actions.” It’s not clear what form these “remedial actions” might take.
The order also directs agencies to “comply with applicable document-retention policies and legal obligations.”
The executive order is available here and below.
