Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government
Signed: January 20, 2025
Published: January 28, 2025
Document Number: 2025-01900
đSummary
This executive order directs the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence to review the past four years of federal law-enforcement, civil-enforcement, and intelligence activities for signs they were used improperly for political purposes rather than legitimate government goals. It affects federal agencies with enforcement power (such as the Department of Justice, SEC, and FTC) and the Intelligence Community, as well as their leaders and staff involved in investigations and related actions. The order requires each review to produce a report to the President identifying questionable conduct and recommending corrective steps, and it instructs agencies to preserve records and follow document-retention rules, with violations referred to the Attorney General. It also states the order does not change agenciesâ legal authorities, must be carried out within existing law and funding, and does not create enforceable legal rights for private parties.
đźBusiness Impact
This order primarily affects highly regulated industries that interact with federal enforcement agenciesâfinancial services/public companies (SEC), consumer-facing businesses and platforms (FTC), government contractors, and any firm currently under investigation or subject to consent decreesâbecause it directs a 4âyear lookback review of civil/criminal enforcement and intelligence activities that could lead to reopened decisions, leadership changes, or shifts in enforcement priorities. Compliance-wise, it doesnât add new substantive rules for businesses, but it raises the stakes on **document retention**: companies should ensure litigation holds, records schedules, and audit trails are tight because agencies are explicitly told to preserve records and refer noncompliance to DOJ, and businesses may see more subpoenas/requests tied to retrospective reviews. Opportunities include potential relief or renegotiation for firms that believe they were subject to politically motivated investigations, funding revocations, or enforcement actions, as well as a possible near-term slowdown or reprioritization of certain enforcement pipelines while reviews occur. Immediate actions: (1) have counsel assess exposure/opportunity if youâve had significant federal investigations or adverse actions in the last 4 years, (2) refresh retention/hold procedures and train key staff, and (3) monitor DOJ/SEC
Full Text
Executive Order 14147 of January 20, 2025
Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1 . Purpose. The American people have witnessed the previous administration engage in a systematic campaign against its perceived political opponents, weaponizing the legal force of numerous Federal law enforcement agencies and the Intelligence Community against those perceived political opponents in the form of investigations, prosecutions, civil enforcement actions, and other related actions. These actions appear oriented more toward inflicting political pain than toward pursuing actual justice or legitimate governmental objectives. Many of these activities appear to be inconsistent with the Constitution and/or the laws of the United States, including those activities directed at parents protesting at school board meetings, Americans who spoke out against the previous administration's actions, and other Americans who were simply exercising constitutionally protected rights.
The prior administration and allies throughout the country engaged in an unprecedented, third-world weaponization of prosecutorial power to upend the democratic process. It targeted individuals who voiced opposition to the prior administration's policies with numerous Federal investigations and politically motivated funding revocations, which cost Americans access to needed services. The Department of Justice even jailed an individual for posting a political meme. And while the Department of Justice has ruthlessly prosecuted more than 1,500 individuals associated with January 6, and simultaneously dropped nearly all cases against BLM rioters.
Therefore, this order sets forth a process to ensure accountability for the previous administration's weaponization of the Federal Government against the American people.
Sec. 2 . Policy. It is the policy of the United States to identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the Federal Government related to the weaponization of law enforcement and the weaponization of the Intelligence Community.
Sec. 3 . Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government. (a) The Attorney General, in consultation with the heads of all departments and agencies of the United States, shall take appropriate action to review the activities of all departments and agencies exercising civil or criminal enforcement authority of the United States, including, but not limited to, the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission, over the last 4 years and identify any instances where a department's or agency's conduct appears to have been contrary to the purposes and policies of this order, and prepare a report to be submitted to the President, through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and the Counsel to the President, with recommendations for appropriate remedial actions to be taken to fulfill the purposes and policies of this order.
(b) The Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the heads of the appropriate departments and agencies within the Intelligence Community, shall take all appropriate action to review the activities of the Intelligence Community over the last 4 years and identify any instances where the Intelligence Community's conduct appears to have been contrary to the purposes and policies of this order, and prepare a report to be submitted ( printed page 8236) to the President, through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and the National Security Advisor, with recommendations for appropriate remedial actions to be taken to fulfill the purposes and policies of this order. The term “Intelligence Community” has the meaning given the term in section 3003 of title 50, United States Code.
(c) In furtherance of these policies, departments and agencies are directed to comply with applicable document-retention policies and legal obligations. Instances of noncompliance with document-retention policies or legal obligations will be referred to the Attorney General.
Sec. 4 . General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
THE WHITE HOUSE,
January 20, 2025.