Left to right: Miles Taylor appearing on CNN in August 2020 (CNN). Right: President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington (AP Photo/Evan Vucci).
A former official with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during Donald Trump’s first term who penned an anonymous 2018 op-ed referring to the president as “impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective,” is calling for an investigation into Trump’s April executive order about him, claiming it makes him the target of a federal criminal probe simply because he criticized the president.
In a letter to Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, ex-DHS chief of staff Miles Taylor said that Trump’s executive order entitled, “Addressing Risks Associated with an Egregious Leaker and Disseminator of Falsehoods,” was patently unconstitutional — aimed only at silencing one of the president’s perceived enemies under the guise of “national security” — referring to it as “unprecedented in American history.”
“The Memorandum does not identify any specific wrongdoing,” the letter says. “Rather, it flagrantly targets Mr. Taylor for one reason alone: he dared to speak out to criticize the President.”
In the April 9 executive order, Trump criticized Taylor for allegedly placing his own ambition and financial gain above the well-being of the country, further claiming the former White House employee unlawfully published classified information and “fabricated stories” in his 2019 book, “A Warning.”
“Taylor stoked dissension by manufacturing sensationalist reports on the existence of a supposed ‘resistance’ within the Federal Government that ‘vowed’ to undermine and render ineffective a sitting President,” the order states. “He illegally published classified conversations to sell his book under the pseudonym ‘Anonymous,’ which is full of falsehoods and fabricated stories. In so doing, Taylor abandoned his sacred oath and commitment to public service by disclosing sensitive information obtained through unauthorized methods and betrayed the confidence of those with whom he served.”
After signing the order on national television, Trump then called Taylor a “traitor” whom he believed was “guilty of treason” before calling for an investigation into the former administration official.
“A President railing against someone whom he deems a political adversary, as this President often does, is one thing,” Taylor’s letter says. “Executive departments and their leaders planning to take or taking retribution based on the President’s unfounded conspiracies is something else, entirely.”
Taylor requested that the IG take steps toward “addressing and preventing abuses of power,” asserting that Trump’s “off-with-his-head edict” is poised to set a precedent undermining the “foundational separation of powers between political power and federal law enforcement.”
The results of the order on Taylor and his family have been “concrete” and “devastating,” according to Taylor’s lawyer. The letter states that he has been “labeled a pariah in the national security field” and forced to step away from his job, severely impacting his ability to make a living. He further claims that as he and his family have been specifically targeted by the president, they have also become a focal point for the ire of Trump’s MAGA fan base.
“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 in an interview with The Associated Press. “[It’s] 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.”
