U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on the 6th (local time) canceling the security clearances of attorneys from the major U.S. law firm Perkins Coie and restricting access to government buildings and officials. This executive order also demands the cancellation of contracts between federal agencies and Perkins Coie.
Founded in 1912, Perkins Coie is a global law firm headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with 21 offices across the U.S., Asia, and Europe. Perkins Coie specializes in technology industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) and aviation, and was ranked 50th in the top 100 U.S. law firms by American Lawyer as of 2024.
The reason Trump, who champions "America First," is attacking domestic large law firms stems from his troubled relationship with Perkins Coie. This troubled history dates back to when Trump first defeated the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
At that time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was investigating allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which Trump had won. According to The New York Times (NYT), attorneys Mark Elias and Michael Sussmann, associated with Perkins Coie, played significant roles in the investigation. However, specific details of their roles during the FBI investigation were not mentioned.
Trump also filed a lawsuit against Perkins Coie in 2022. At that time, Trump claimed that Perkins Coie conspired with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others to undermine his presidential campaign. However, this lawsuit was dismissed by the court for lack of substantial evidence.
However, Trump's hostility persisted. In the executive order, Trump noted, "Perkins Coie's dishonest and dangerous activities have affected the United States for decades," adding that they had hired Fusion GPS (a political research firm) on behalf of the failed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary, to create false documents to steal the election.
He further stated that "Perkins Coie discriminated against its lawyers, staff, and applicants," saying, "They proudly excluded applicants from consideration based on race." Perkins Coie had previously announced a percentage allocation plan for hiring and promotions based on race and other legally prohibited categories in 2019.
The executive order directs a review of Perkins Coie's hiring practices, especially whether summer internship opportunities were granted to individuals of certain races, whether promotions were made based on discriminatory criteria, and whether access rights were granted to clients. Trump seeks to restrict all of Perkins Coie's internal and external activities.
Since the inauguration of his second administration, this is the second time Trump has targeted a domestic law firm for attack. He stated last month that he would take similar action against another major U.S. law firm, Covington & Burling, because it assisted special counsel Jack Smith in investigating him.
The NYT assessed, "This measure is retaliation for Perkins Coie's legal work for the Democrats during the 2016 campaign." It added, "It remains unclear what immediate effect this executive order will have on the law firm," but noted, "This could have a chilling effect on the entire legal profession."