NEW: Trump Signs New Memo Going After Jack Smith-Tied Legal Group

On Tuesday President Donald Trump signed an order revoking security clearances for employees of Covington & Burling LLP, a law firm that provided legal assistance to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office. The move comes as part of Trump’s effort to combat what he calls the “weaponization of government” by legal and political opponents.

At a press conference announcing the decision, Trump was in characteristic form, labeling Smith “deranged” and calling the executive action the “Deranged Jack Smith Signing.” He then tossed a Sharpie to a reporter, joking, “Why don’t you send it to Jack Smith?”

The order suspends and places under review the security clearances of attorneys and employees from Covington & Burling who worked with Smith’s team. “We’re going to continue holding the people who were responsible for the weaponization of government accountable,” a senior official stated during the press event.

Trump signaled that this move is just the beginning, suggesting that other firms could soon face similar actions. “You’ll be doing this with other firms as time goes by, right?” Trump asked an official during the presser.

The president also took aim at pro bono legal services, implying that firms like Covington & Burling were leveraging free legal aid to hinder government operations. “The weaponization of our system by law firms, even pro bono work they’re doing just in order to clog up government, stop government… hopefully, that’ll never happen again,” he said.

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The latest move escalates Trump’s ongoing battle with Jack Smith, the special counsel behind multiple investigations into the president. The memorandum, as disclosed by Fox News, revealed comprehensive intentions by the administration to revoke security clearances for all advisors involved in Smith’s twin inquiries into President Trump, a move the White House acknowledged.

According to the document, the federal government is directed to cease its associations with the law firm Covington & Burling “to the maximum extent permitted by law,” and to undertake thorough assessments of financial allocations to align with the preferences and directives of this administration.

The directive specifically mentions Peter Koski, former deputy chief of the Public Integrity Section of the Justice Department. Another prominent figure, Lanny Breuer, who previously led the Justice Department’s Criminal Division under President Barack Obama and was instrumental in appointing Smith to oversee the Public Integrity Section in 2010, is also expected to be a focal point of this scrutiny.

By stripping these senior Justice Department officials of their clearances, the administration asserts that President Trump is “sending a clear message that the Federal Government will no longer tolerate the abuse of power by partisan actors who exploit their positions for political gain,” per a White House official.

The official stated, “The Federal Government will review and terminate engagement of Covington & Burling LLP by the United States to the maximum extent permitted by law.”

With this executive action, Trump has once again demonstrated his willingness to directly confront those he believes have acted against him—now taking his fight beyond prosecutors and into the law firms that assisted them.