Overview

• An open letter signed by more than 200 former lawmakers and ex-White House officials criticizes President Trump’s actions as a profound abuse of presidential power.
• The letter denounces Trump’s executive orders revoking security clearances for individuals tied to former officials Miles Taylor and Chris Krebs.
• President Trump has directed the Department of Justice to investigate Taylor and Krebs, both of whom were critical of his administration.
• Signatories, including former Trump lawyer Ty Cobb, liken the president’s actions to those of a ‘royal despot’ and warn of a perilous precedent for federal institutions.
• The letter asserts that these measures represent an unconstitutional break with precedent and evoke troubling historical parallels.