President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that suspended the security clearances for employees of the Perkins Coie law firm, which played a central role in the 2016 Russia investigation.
"This is an absolute honor to sign," Trump said before signing the order in the Oval Office.
Perkins Coie, with money that flowed from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee, hired Fusion GPS to commission the Steele dossier, which the Trump administration said was "designed to steal an election while representing failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton."
The debunked dossier, authored by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, alleged that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election on behalf of Trump and that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government.
"What they've done is just terrible. It's weaponization — you could say weaponization against a political opponent — and it should never be allowed to happen again," Trump said Thursday before signing the order.
In addition, the order suspends access to certain federal resources and initiates a review of the firm's diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
"Perkins Coie LLP has been accused of racially discriminating against its own attorneys, staff, and applicants. Perkins Coie has publicly announced racial percentage quotas for hiring and promotions, violating civil rights laws, and excluded applicants from fellowships based on race until lawsuits forced change," read a post from the White House's Rapid Response account.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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