This firm has over 1,000 lawyers, over $1 billion in revenue in 2023, and 21 offices. Started in Seattle in 1912. What did they do to deserve Trump's wrath?
An executive order aimed at a private entity is completely unprecedented. It's called:
"Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP."
Trump is acting as judge, jury, and executioner. This time, he may have chosen the wrong enemy. They have more lawyers than he does.
"The dishonest and dangerous activity of the law firm Perkins Coie LLP has affected this country for decades. 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'm sure you're starting to get an idea of why this executive order has been generated.
Fusion GPS is an opposition research and strategic intelligence firm. It has a complicated history as you might imagine. In 2015 they were retained by the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative website, to do opposition research into Trump and other conservative candidates. When Trump became the sole runner, the Beacon stopped the research.
Then Hillary Clinton's campaign retained Perkins Coie, who contacted Fusion GPS and continued research into Donald Trump. Fusion GPS then retained the services of Christopher Steele, a private corporate intelligence investigator and former MI6 agent. He was to investigate any Russian connections by Trump. He produced a series of 35 memos of uncorroborated information.
Christopher Steele is the man behind the infamous Steele dossier, which Trump has always called a hoax.
The lead election lawyer at Perkins Coie was Mark Elias. Fusion GPS gave him the dossier. Marc left Perkins Coie in 2021 to form his own law election law firm, Elias Law Group. He testified about the dossier in 2017 in front of the House Intelligence Committee.
You can actually read the dossier here. It's a PDF of photos taken of the pages with passages highlighted with a yellow marker. Item 3 on page 2 has Trump at the Moscow Ritz Carlton with prostitutes and the "golden shower" in a room wired for sound and video.
Page 18 is about Michael Cohen's secret liaison with the Kremlin. Page 20 Paul Manafort. Lots of interesting stuff.
The executive order went on to say:
"Perkins Coie has worked with activist donors including George Soros to judicially overturn popular, necessary, and democratically enacted election laws..."
The dreaded George Soros raises his ugly head and the specter of canceling voter ID laws.
"...Perkins Coie racially discriminates against it own attorneys and staff, and against applicants."
Later on, the order plainly states that their problem is with diversity, equity, and inclusion at Perkins Coie.
As a result, they should not get any federal funds or contracts, and any existing security clearances are revoked. Any Security Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIF) have to be shut down and removed.
Government contractors have to divulge if they have contact of any kind with Perkins Coie.
The Chair of the Equal Opportunity Commission will investigate racial and sex-based discrimination at large law firms, like Perkins Coie.
Perkins Coie employees are banned from entering any federal buildings.
Agencies will not hire former Perkins Coie employees.
All this because Hillary Clinton's campaign hired Perkins Coie, who hired Fusion GPS, who hired Christopher Steele, who created the dossier and gave it to Marc Elias which/who caused years of headaches for Trump.
What will Perkins Coie do in response? They have worked primarily with Democrats, so businesswise, it would have a negligible effect. They could sue for due process if they feel anything is worth defending.
Now that Trump has gotten everyone running for cover with his flurry of executive orders, he's started his revenge tour.
Being an executive order, there will be news coverage. Perkins Coie will be asked for comment, and White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt should be hit with questions at the next news conference.
It's a story to follow because it brings up the Steele Dossier which had faded into oblivion. Trump has just brought up into people's minds again that maybe it wasn't so far fetched and that there must be information in it that was real.
Which parts, Mr. Trump? Which parts?
