Alleged Trump enemies fear losing pensions, being audited and paying high legal bills

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s not just criminal charges that have those who have crossed paths with President Donald Trump worried. There are more prosaic types of retaliation: having trouble renewing your passport, getting audited by the IRS, and losing your federal pensions.

For the many people who made Trump an enemy, his return to the presidency this week brought anxiety. Some fear going bankrupt trying to clear their name.

Less than 24 hours after taking office, Trump fired the first shot: order the revocation of security clearances held by dozens of former intelligence agents who he says sided with Joe Biden during the 2020 campaign or turned against him. Losing these clearances can be costly for former government employees who work for defense contractors and need continued access to classified information to do their jobs in the private sector.

“Anyone who disagrees with Trump should be worried about retaliation,” said John Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security adviser and became a vocal critic of the president. “It’s a pretty long list. I think there are a lot of people who are very worried.

Bolton was among a half-dozen former officials who spoke to The Associated Press about their growing apprehensions about Trump’s potential for revenge. In the hours before Trump was sworn in Monday, officials noted, outgoing President Biden took an extraordinary step to issue preemptive pardons to frequent Trump targets such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and lawmakers and staff who served on the congressional panel that investigated the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Biden also pardoned his family members, saying “baseless, politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety, and financial security of targeted individuals and their families.”

The risk of being on Kash Patel’s list

Many of the former officials were listed in an index of “deep state” agents in a book by Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee for FBI director. Patel promised to launch a campaign against what he calls “government gangsters”.

Most of those interviewed spoke of their fears on condition of anonymity because they did not want to draw further attention to themselves. They fear being the target of a presidential social media post or being the target of an online harassment campaign.

They also fear being criminally investigated and prosecuted for their actions as government employees, although few have expressed any real concern about the idea. to be condemned. All said they were most concerned about incurring high legal fees following criminal investigations, congressional inquiries or defamation suits.

Trump has long sought revenge

Revenge played a role central role in many of Trump’s remarks after leaving the presidency in 2021. He said at a rally in 2023: “For those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your punishment.” »

In his inaugural address Monday, Trump said his “proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier,” and he signed an executive order aimed at ending what he called the militarization of the federal government under Biden. He alleged that the previous administration took actions “directed more toward political pain than toward the pursuit of true justice or legitimate governmental goals.”

But within hours of being sworn in, he issued decrees aimed at settling scores, including one withdrawing the authorizations of 50 former intelligence officers. He also revoked Secret Service protection for Bolton, whose life was threatened by Iran.

A White House spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.

By any measure, the federal government has enormous power. It is the largest buyer of goods and services in the world. He can audit, investigate, pursue and cajole. It controls everything from television broadcasting licenses to passport renewals. It has the power to add citizens to a no-fly list or ease their passage through passport control and TSA security checkpoints.

While most functions of the federal government have been depoliticized for more than a century, there are many ways a president bent on revenge can upend the lives of ordinary citizens.

“If you have control of the executive branch and you don’t really care whether you’re following the rules or the law, there’s a lot you can do and it’s pretty hard to stop,” Barton Gellman said, a senior advisor at the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice.

Simulation examined to punish political enemies

Gellman helped run a series of simulations last year aimed at testing the U.S. response to an authoritarian presidency. The goal was to see how institutions – public and private – would respond to a president issuing illegal or unethical orders.

The bipartisan group assembled for the simulation included several former governors and cabinet officials, retired military personnel, former members of Congress and many prominent civil society leaders. Participants played the roles of institutions such as the Justice Department, the military, and the majority and minority parties in Congress, as well as universities and the press. Some scenarios involved a president using the power of government to punish his political enemies.

What they found was that government institutions would eventually bend to the president’s wishes. Gellman thinks the only obstacle might be that the American people don’t accept it.

“Public opinion may actually be one of the biggest constraints on Trump. I don’t think a majority of Americans want to see him abuse his legal powers to try to harm his political enemies. If a trend like that emerges, I don’t think it will be popular,” Gellman said.

A recent New York Times/Ipsos poll found that 73% of Americans oppose the idea of ​​Trump trying to sue his opponents, including 49% of Americans who consider themselves “strongly opposed.”

Lawyers prepare to help

Lawyers and civil society groups are fundraising and organizing on behalf of current and former federal employees who could be in the crosshairs. Norm Eisen, a veteran lawyer and former U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic, said he was advising people targeted by Trump with his colleagues at the State Democracy Defenders Fund, a nonprofit watchdog group.

Mark Zaid, a Washington lawyer who represents several of the people whose security clearances were revoked this week, has organized an effort to help those who might be targeted. This includes bringing in lawyers, accountants and even mental health professionals who could offer services for free.

“There’s not much we can do in advance,” Zaid said, “other than just prepare for when he acts.”