Back in March, President Donald Trump's administration issued a memo revoking the security clearances of Washington D.C. attorney Mark Zaid and 14 others.
But in May, Zaid sued the Trump administration over the revocation. A preliminary injunction followed. And on Friday, December 26, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali (an appointee of former President Joe Biden) ruled that the memo could not be applied to Zaid.
The Associated Press' Joey Cappelletti reports: "The decision marked the administration’s second legal setback on Tuesday, after the Supreme Court declined to allow Trump to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area, capping a first year in office in which President Donald Trump’s efforts to impose a sweeping agenda and pursue retribution against political adversaries have been repeatedly slowed by the courts."
Cappelletti notes that in March, the Trump administration's memo "singled out Zaid and 14 other individuals who the White House asserted were unsuitable to retain their clearances because it was 'no longer in the national interest.'"
"The action was part of a much broader retribution campaign that Trump has waged since returning to the White House, including directing specific Justice Department investigations against perceived adversaries and issuing sweeping executive orders targeting law firms over legal work he does not like," Cappelletti explains. "In August, the Trump administration said it was revoking the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials."
The AP reporter adds: "Ordering the revocation of clearances has been a favored retributive tactic that Trump has wielded — or at least tried to — against high-profile political figures, lawyers and intelligence officials in his second term. Zaid said in his lawsuit that he has represented clients across the political spectrum over nearly 35 years, including government officials, law enforcement and military officials and whistleblowers."
Zaid, in an official statement, said of Ali's ruling, "This is not just a victory for me, it's an indictment of the Trump administration’s attempts to intimidate and silence the legal community, especially lawyers who represent people who dare to question or hold this government accountable."
Read the full Associated Press article at this link.
