Miles Taylor, a former Homeland Security official during President Donald Trump’s first administration who anonymously authored a critical op-ed about the president, is urging independent government watchdogs to investigate after Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies to look into his government service.
Taylor, who served as chief of staff at DHS, expressed concern in an interview with The Associated Press about the implications of Trump’s April 9 memorandum, titled “Addressing Risks Associated with an Egregious Leaker and Disseminator of Falsehoods.” The memo accused Taylor of fabricating stories to promote his book and instructed the Secretary of Homeland Security and other government bodies to investigate Taylor and revoke his security clearances.
On Tuesday, Taylor sent a letter via email to the inspectors general at the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, formally requesting an investigation. This action follows a similar memorandum issued on the same day by Trump, targeting Chris Krebs, a former top cybersecurity official who had disputed Trump’s claims of widespread voting fraud in the 2020 election. Taylor told the AP that the order targeting him establishes a “scary precedent,” prompting his call for an investigation.
“I didn’t commit any crime, and that’s what’s extraordinary about this. I can’t think of any case where someone knows they’re being investigated but has absolutely no idea what crime they allegedly committed. And it’s because I didn’t,” Taylor said. He described Trump’s actions as setting a “really, really, really scary precedent to have set is that the president of the United States can now sign an order investigating any private citizen he wants, any critic, any foe, anyone.”
The White House and the Department of Homeland Security have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Taylor left the Trump administration in 2019. In his anonymous 2018 New York Times op-ed, he identified himself as part of a secret “resistance” working against Trump’s “misguided impulses.” He later revealed himself as the author and published a book expanding on these themes, followed by another book, “Blowback,” which cautioned against Trump’s return to office. After the April 9 memorandum, Trump publicly suggested Taylor was “likely guilty of treason.”
A letter from Taylor’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, to the inspectors general labels Trump’s actions as “unprecedented in American history.” The letter argues that the memorandum lacks any specific allegations of wrongdoing and instead targets Taylor solely for his criticism of the president. Lowell asserted that this constitutes a “textbook definition of political retribution and vindictive prosecution” and appears to violate Taylor’s First Amendment rights, as well as his Fifth Amendment due process rights.
Lowell’s letter highlights Taylor’s “honorable and exemplary” government service, including the Distinguished Service Medal he received upon his departure. It also details the significant personal toll the April 9 memorandum has taken on Taylor, including threats and harassment against his family and the loss of government jobs for former colleagues associated with him. Taylor told the AP that his family’s lives have been thrown into “implosion” since the order, forcing him to step away from work and his wife to return to employment to manage their finances. Their home address was also reportedly published online in a doxxing incident.
Taylor acknowledged that filing complaints with the inspectors general might intensify the pressure on him and his family. However, he stated that after weeks of deliberation, they decided to fight back, arguing that remaining silent would convey a message that there are no consequences for the president abusing his powers in what his legal team believes are unconstitutional and illegal way.
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