How a Presidential Memo Sparked the Taylor LLC Lawsuit

Miles Taylor has not yet filed a lawsuit against President Trump, but his legal fight is underway. In June 2025, Taylor’s attorneys filed formal complaints with the inspectors general at the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security challenging an April 2025 presidential memorandum that ordered federal agencies to investigate him for alleged crimes including espionage and treason. His legal team has said a federal lawsuit remains on the table depending on how the inspector general process plays out.¹

What the April 2025 Memo Ordered

On April 9, 2025, President Trump signed a memorandum titled “Addressing Risks Associated with an Egregious Leaker and Disseminator of Falsehoods,” naming Taylor directly. The order accused him of “illegally” publishing classified conversations while serving as chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security, said his conduct was “possibly violating the Espionage Act” and potentially “treasonous,” and alleged unauthorized disclosure for “personal enrichment.”²

The memorandum directed the Attorney General, the Director of National Intelligence, and every agency head to immediately suspend any active security clearance Taylor held. It ordered the Secretary of Homeland Security to review Taylor’s time in government and report back with recommended “remedial or preventative actions.” It also suspended clearances for people at “entities associated with Taylor, including the University of Pennsylvania,” where he had taught a political science course.³

Taylor is the former DHS chief of staff who wrote the anonymous 2018 New York Times op-ed describing a “quiet resistance” inside the administration, followed by the 2019 book A Warning under the byline “Anonymous.” He publicly identified himself as the author in October 2020.⁴

The Inspector General Complaints

On June 3, 2025, Taylor’s attorneys filed complaints with the DOJ and DHS inspectors general asking them to investigate whether the presidential memorandum violated law or constitutional protections. The complaint, sent by attorney Abbe Lowell, called the memorandum a “textbook definition of political retribution and vindictive prosecution” and argued it targeted Taylor solely for his criticism of the president. It also alleged violations of Taylor’s Fifth Amendment due process rights, noting that the memorandum identified no specific wrongdoing.¹

Taylor’s legal team includes Lowell & Associates, Hecker Fink, and Mark S. Zaid, PC, with additional support from the nonprofit Whistleblower Aid.⁵ Lowell, who recently opened a practice focused on representing individuals targeted by political retaliation, described the complaints as an attempt to “get the administration to do the right thing,” saying the team would “explore other options including a possible lawsuit” depending on the outcome.¹ Taylor has called the matter a “test case” for the independence of government watchdogs.⁶

Inspectors general cannot bring charges themselves. Their findings can lead to internal discipline, referrals to the Justice Department, or congressional scrutiny.⁷ Whistleblower Aid has also launched a fundraising site, EndPresidentialRevenge.org, to help cover Taylor’s legal costs.⁸

The Constitutional Arguments

Taylor’s central legal claim is that the memorandum retaliates against him for protected First Amendment speech, namely his published criticism of the president. Whistleblower Aid and Taylor’s attorneys have described the order as the first time in American history that a president has invoked the full investigative weight of the federal government against a named private citizen.⁸

Kevin Carroll, a former senior DHS official during Trump’s first term, called the investigation “blatantly unconstitutional.” Legal professionals cited by PBS NewsHour raised three concerns: a chilling effect on political speech, scare tactics aimed at intimidating lawyers and officials who might hold the administration accountable, and the risk that firms would refuse to represent clients opposed to the administration.⁹

What the Memo Has Cost Taylor

Taylor has described the order as “completely destructive” to his personal life. He said he stepped away from professional work, including tech consulting, to protect employers from potential government investigation, calling it a form of “blacklisting in Washington.” His family faced increased security threats, including violent threats directed at his infant daughter, and financial strain forced his wife to return to the workforce to help cover legal defense costs.¹⁰

The effects reached people around him. Taylor recounted that a friend and senior DHS official was fired after the White House discovered an Instagram photograph of the official attending Taylor’s wedding.⁶

The University of Pennsylvania, the only institution named in the memo, said it does not hold a government security clearance as a corporate entity and does not accept agreements requiring access to classified data. A university spokesperson declined to comment on the directive.¹¹

Where the Case Stands

As of mid-2026, Taylor’s inspector general complaints remain pending, with no public response from the oversight bodies. No criminal charges have been filed. A tracker maintained by Protect Democracy notes there is no public evidence Taylor committed a federal crime.¹² His legal team has said a federal lawsuit remains a possibility depending on how the inspector general process unfolds.¹

Taylor Is Not the Only Target

On the same day the Taylor memorandum was signed, Trump issued a parallel directive against Christopher Krebs, the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, ordering a DOJ investigation, revoking his security clearance, and suspending clearances at his employer, the cybersecurity firm SentinelOne.¹³ Krebs resigned from SentinelOne to fight the pressure personally.¹⁴

Both Taylor and Krebs appeared on a list of roughly 60 people published in an appendix to FBI Director Kash Patel’s 2023 book, Government Gangsters. By August 2025, according to reporting by the Guardian, at least five individuals from that list had become subjects of federal investigations.¹⁵ Former officials targeted by investigations or indictments include John Bolton, James Comey, Letitia James, and Adam Schiff, though the Comey and James cases were dismissed.¹⁶

1
PBS NewsHour. Former Homeland Security Official Taylor Fights Back Against Trumps Unprecedented Investigation Order
2
The White House. Addressing Risks Associated With an Egregious Leaker and Disseminator of Falsehoods
3
The White House. Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Addresses Risks Associated With Miles Taylor
4
The New York Times. Miles Taylor Anonymous Trump
5
Whistleblower Aid. Whistleblower Aid Spearheads Campaign to Support Miles Taylor
6
Politico. Anonymous Miles Taylor Trump Treason Interview
7
Time. Trump Miles Taylor Treason Legal Challenge
8
Whistleblower Aid. Former Trump Whistleblower Miles Taylor Files Complaint Against the Trump Administrations Unprecedented and Unlawful Retaliation
9
PBS NewsHour. Trump Directs DOJ to Investigate Former Administration Officials Who Criticized Him
10
CBS News. Ex-Trump Official Miles Taylor on Trump Memo Targeting Him
11
The Philadelphia Inquirer. UPenn Security Clearance Trump Miles Taylor
12
Protect Democracy. Retaliatory Action Tracker
13
The White House. Addressing Risks From Chris Krebs and Government Censorship
14
Nextgov/FCW. Former Cyber Official Chris Krebs Leave SentinelOne Bid Fight Trump Pressure
15
The Guardian. John Bolton Kash Patel Book List
16
Axios. Trump Indictments Prosecution Targets FBI DOJ