Trump Cuts Off Federal Resources for Law Firm Linked to Steele Dossier

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that effectively rescinds security clearances and access to federal resources for Perkins Coie, the law firm that played a central role in commissioning the controversial "Steele dossier." The dossier, infamously peppered with salacious and largely unverified claims about Trump’s alleged ties to Russia, stirred political and legal turmoil during his presidency.

"This is an absolute honor to sign," Trump declared while addressing reporters. He described the firm's actions as "weaponization" against a political rival, adding that such maneuvers should never be allowed again.

The order imposes sweeping restrictions on Perkins Coie's employees, including suspending their security clearances and their access to sensitive government facilities. The firm’s ability to interact with federal employees is now limited, and the government is barred from hiring Perkins Coie personnel or contractors affiliated with the firm without specific authorization.

Predictably, Perkins Coie isn’t taking this lying down. A spokesperson for the firm called the executive order "patently unlawful" and confirmed plans to challenge it legally.

The firm’s connections to political controversies run deep. During the 2016 election, Perkins Coie represented Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee. It also worked for Joe Biden during Trump’s challenges to the 2020 election results. However, its role in commissioning Fusion GPS to produce opposition research against Trump—research that led to the Steele dossier—has been the firm’s most controversial moment.

The dossier, compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, included eyebrow-raising allegations, such as claims that Trump engaged in compromising activities with Russian prostitutes. BuzzFeed News first published the document in 2017, thrusting its contents into the public eye. Trump has vehemently denied the claims, even filing a lawsuit against a company co-founded by Steele. However, Trump’s legal efforts hit a wall when a London judge dismissed the case in February 2024.

The Justice Department’s inspector general later criticized the FBI for relying on the Steele dossier to justify surveillance of former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page. While the inspector general found no political bias in the FBI’s actions, the dossier’s role in the Russia investigation remains a sore point for Trump and his allies.

This executive order marks another chapter in Trump’s ongoing battle against what he views as deliberate efforts to undermine him politically. Whether Perkins Coie’s legal challenge will succeed remains a question, but one thing’s clear: the Steele dossier saga is far from over.