ICYMI: Reuters Exposes Unprecedented Government-Wide Retribution Campaign Targeting Hundreds
Last week, Reuters published a special report detailing the Trump Administration’s campaign of political retribution, which has now reached at least 470 targets – spanning former and current federal officials, law firms, state and local governments, universities, media, and major corporations. One target, former CIA director Leon Panetta warns us, “this kind of political retribution leads to a loss of trust, which ultimately leads to a failure of governing.”
The report lays out the unprecedented efforts to weaponize all parts of the government against the president’s perceived adversaries through:
Punitive acts: Reuters found at least 462 cases of punitive acts such as firings, suspensions, investigations, and revocation of security clearances.
Threats: Reuters found at least 46 individuals, businesses, or entities that have been threatened with investigations, penalties, loss of funding, and other consequences.
Coercion: Reuters found at least a dozen cases where organizations, like law firms and universities, rolled back initiatives or policies after facing threats from the Trump administration.
The report captures what can be verified from public documents and interviews, though the true breadth of Trump’s retribution campaign may extend much wider. In less than a year, nearly 500 people - that we know of - have faced politically motivated attacks, threats, or coercion with each act slowly chipping away at the foundation of our democracy.
Read the Reuters article HERE.
