President Donald Trump intensified his campaign against former rogue officials from his administration by ordering the Department of Justice to investigate Miles Taylor and Christopher Krebs. Both former officials have had their security clearances revoked as part of the investigations.
Miles Taylor, who served as the deputy chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), gained notoriety in 2018 for an anonymous op-ed in The New York Times titled “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.” In this piece, he claimed to work from within the administration to “counteract some of Trump’s more extreme impulses.” Taylor later revealed his identity and published a book detailing his experiences.
During a signing ceremony in the Oval Office, Trump labeled Taylor a “traitor” and suggested he was guilty of treason, stating, “You can’t have that happen.” The presidential memorandum not only stripped Taylor of his security clearance but also directed the Justice Department to investigate potential unauthorized dissemination of classified information during his time in office.
In addition to Taylor, Trump ordered an investigation into Christopher Krebs, the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Krebs was dismissed in November 2020 after he publicly asserted that the 2020 election was the “most secure in American history,” contradicting Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud. Trump referred to Krebs as a “wise guy” and a “disgrace.”
The investigations into Taylor and Krebs have sparked significant backlash from various liberal political figures and civil liberties advocates. Taylor responded to the accusations on social media, stating, “Dissent isn’t unlawful. It certainly isn’t treasonous. America is headed down a dark path.” Krebs has yet to publicly comment on the latest developments but has previously defended his actions during his tenure at CISA.
Trump’s directive to investigate former officials is part of a broader pattern of holding accountable the bad actors who got away with undermining the administration and trying to do harm to the office with impunity in the past. In recent months, he has revoked security clearances for several high-profile figures, including Dr. Anthony Fauci and former Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
