Vendetta
Attacking the Right to Counsel and the Sixth Amendment
In a chilling retribution, Trump, in a memorandum, canceled security clearances and will be “evaluating” contracts with Covington & Burling, the law firm representing special counsel Jack Smith. This is a direct attack on the rule of law and the right to effective counsel guaranteed in the Sixth Amendement.
SUBJECT: Suspension of Security Clearances and Evaluation
of Government Contracts
I hereby direct the Attorney General and all other relevant heads of executive departments and agencies (agencies) to immediately take steps consistent with applicable law to suspend any active security clearances held by Peter Koski and all members, partners, and employees of Covington & Burling LLP who assisted former Special Counsel Jack Smith during his time as Special Counsel, pending a review and determination of their roles and responsibilities, if any, in the weaponization of the judicial process. I also direct the Attorney General and heads of agencies to take such actions as are necessary to terminate any engagement of Covington & Burling LLP by any agency to the maximum extent permitted by law and consistent with the memorandum that shall be issued by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Additionally, if any of the covered Covington & Burling LLP members, partners, and employees referenced in this memorandum obtained a security clearance from an agency not included as an addressee of this memorandum, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall provide this memorandum to the appropriate clearance-granting agency to ensure compliance.
I further direct the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to issue a memorandum to all agencies to review all Government contracts with Covington & Burling LLP. To the extent permitted by applicable law, heads of agencies shall align their agency funding decisions with the interests of the citizens of the United States; with the goals and priorities of my Administration as expressed in executive actions, especially Executive Order 14147 of January 20, 2025 (Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government); and as heads of agencies deem appropriate.
Trump’s personal vendetta against Jack Smith has now crossed the line into dictatorial extremes. But the larger issue is the threat against the entire legal profession, guaranteeing direct punishments to firms for providing legal counsel to people on Trump’s shit list.
The right to counsel is guaranteed in the Sixth Amendment:
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
Below is reporting according to ABC News. Understanding the interactions is extremely important. Emphasis is mine.
"One law firm that provided pro-bono legal services to the special counsel's office under Jack Smith's leadership was Covington and Burling," White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf said about the memo as Trump moved to sign it during a ceremony on Tuesday. "As a result of those actions, we're now going to be suspending and putting under review the security clearances for the attorneys and employees at that firm who worked with Jack Smith's team. And we're going to continue holding the people who were responsible for the weaponization of government, who supported it, accountable for what they did."
Trump asked Scharf [his underling] about the plans to do this to other law firms and Scharf said that the administration was looking at a range of options to take against other law firms. [This is the bald-faced threat against the legal profession and the rule of law]. Trump tossed the pen to an attendee and joked "Why don't you give it to Jack Smith?" and called him a “deranged” individual.
A reporter asked Trump whether the action to strip the attorneys' security clearances amounted to political targeting, but Trump cut the reporter off and said that he was the target.
"I've been targeted for four years longer than that. So, you don't tell me about targeting?" Trump said. "I was the target of corrupt politicians for four years, and then four years after that. So don't talk to me about targeting."
A person familiar with Covington's representation of Jack Smith responded to Trump’s action saying, “There is no evidence the firm itself played any role in Special Counsel Smith's investigation of Trump — and no evidence their representation of Smith had anything to do with his official duties. Separately, Covington is not a contractor to the federal government.”
A spokesperson for the firm added that they recently agreed to represent Smith in an individual capacity and look forward to defending him.
“For more than 100 years, Covington has represented clients facing government investigations, consistent with the best traditions of the legal profession. We recently agreed to represent Jack Smith when it became apparent that he would become a subject of a government investigation. Covington serves as defense counsel to Jack Smith in his personal, individual capacity. We look forward to defending Mr. Smith’s interests and appreciate the trust he has placed in us to do so.”
As special counsel, Smith led probes into both Trump's handling of classified material and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Both cases were dropped following Trump's reelection in November due to a longstanding Justice Department policy prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president.
Under Trump's continual personal attacks, Smith defended his conduct as fully lawful, free of partisan influence and vital to the justice system.
In a letter before he stepped down, Smith personally denounced Trump for levying "laughable" and baseless attacks on the federal prosecutors who brought two criminal cases against him.
Since Covington was not part of the “witch hunt” and has no federal contracts, this is transparently a threat to any law firm that represents any person or entity on Trump’s retribution list. It cannot get any more blatant than this. This is the first step on our way to show trials of anyone Trump sees as opposing his will.
This is all going on in the context of the bomb threats against high-profile anti-Trump lawyers whose are litigating the many cases against the administration’s unconstitutional actions. Trump’s minions now believe they have marching orders to attack the legal profession. the reporting from the Guardian is below.
Organizers of the Principles First summit, which is considered a center-right alternative to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), confirmed the bomb threat after they abruptly asked attendees to clear the room hosting the conference.
“We have received a credible bomb threat from an account claiming to be ‘Enrique T.’ ‘To honor the J6 hostages.’ Yesterday, the recently pardoned leader of the Proud Boys who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and the attack of January 6th came to the Summit and harassed the J6 police who were speaking,” organizers said in a social media post.
“Hotel security, private security, and MPD have made the decision to evacuate Summit floor so that the area can be secured,” the note added, referring to Washington’s Metropolitan police department. “We intend to reconvene and continue with the Summit once the area has been secured.”
As the situation unfolded, Tarrio shared a social media post denying any connection to the incident and threatening Principles First organizers with legal action for accusing him.
Jim Acosta, the former CNN host, posted a copy of the threatening message on social media. The message claimed that four pipe bombs had been deployed against political enemies of “Emperor Trump” who “all deserve to die”, including attenders at the conference, Michael Fanone, a former US Capitol police officer, Fanone’s mother and John Bolton, Donald Trump’s former national security adviser.
After police officers completed the security sweep of the hotel, Heath Mayo, founder of Principles First, confirmed that organizers received a threatening email with the subject line “explosive surprises” from an account belonging to “Enrique T”.
Mayo commended the police officers and security officials who responded quickly to the threat, telling summit attendees: “We are not going to be cowed … It would have been easy to go home and write this off and let these threats win. But this is what America is all about, and America’s democracy – the way that our government works – cannot be cowed by threats like this or people like this.”
Glenn Kirschner was one of those attacked by name as he discussed this on a podcast with Brian Taylor Cohen.
We are far closer to a Putin-style dictatorship than we were a day ago.
And just like that, things changed.
"And just like that..." I'm afraid we will be using that phrase multiple times - maybe every day as this horror show continues.
Thanks for being a voice with information that most media outlets don't cover. Because they are drowning in a firehose of "flooding the zone with shit".
$Trump is having fun. He loves the battle. He loves to do things that are illegal and outrageous. He wakes up every day - not wondering what problem he could solve or what constituency he could HELP. He thinks about THE next thing he can do to get attention. I would call him pathetic, but that would be too kind.
Is it possible that Musk isn't the only "co-president" who is on a spectrum of some sort? Someone who has no interest in the pain he causes others? I am not qualified to diagnose. But I don't think you need a medical degree to see that both of them are sick. Dangerously mentally ill.
Georgia, these actions are a despicable use of power by an autocrat. The Free Press is being throttled to control the message of the regime. The FBI is now in the hands of someone with a so-called "enemies list". The military's top officials have been replaced by toadies who will be at the ready to carry out the will of the autocrat, as have been the JAGs, who will decide what is a legal order. The SCOTUS has given the president nearly unlimited powers to do as he pleases, so long as it falls within "official duties", which only they can determine.
Vendetta is right: this is the revenge tour. He has no interest in running the country, he leaves that for others such as Musk. He has one goal, and that is revenge. Show trials, military tribunals and summary justice is around the corner.