Tag Archives: U.S. Institute of Peace

Associated Press: Judge denies stay request, lets ruling stand blocking DOGE efforts to shut down peace institute

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A federal judge on Friday denied the Trump administration’s request that she stay her May 19 ruling that returned control of the U.S. Institute of Peace back to its acting president and board.

In a seven-page ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell said the government did not meet any of the four requirements for a stay, including a “strong showing” of whether its request could succeed on the merits.

Howell reiterated her finding that the Institute is not part of the executive branch and is therefore beyond President Donald Trump’s authority to fire its board. She added that the firings also did not follow the law for how a board member of the Institute might be removed by the president.

Judge denies stay request, lets ruling stand blocking DOGE efforts to shut down peace institute
A federal judge has denied the Trump administration’s request that she stay her May 19 ruling that returned control of the U.S.

https://apnews.com/article/doge-institute-of-peace-7e85907358be2c654234d9774c0af90b

Daily Beast: Tiny Agency That Stood Up to DOGE Gets Its Building Back

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 small federal agency forced out of its headquarters by the Trump administration has regained control of its building after a federal judge declared the DOGE takeover “null and void.”

U.S. Institute of Peace acting president George Moose reentered his Washington office on Wednesday for the first time since March, when he and many other agency leaders were booted out by DOGE staffers who declared them “unnecessary.”

“We are now back in the building and we intend to resume our stewardship and custodianship,” Moose told reporters in an impromptu briefing outside the USIP building. “It is not just the platform from which we’ve been doing our work—it is a symbol of the aspirations and the intent of the American people to be seen and to be peacemakers in the world.”

Tiny Agency That Stood Up to DOGE Gets Its Building Back
The U.S. Institute of Peace regained control of its headquarters after it was forced out by DOGE in March.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/small-agency-that-stood-up-to-doge-gets-its-building-back

Alternet: ‘Gross usurpation of power’: Judge rips Trump in ruling striking down agency takeover

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In a strongly worded ruling against Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said that the move “represented a gross usurpation of power.”

According to the Hill, the judge also issued an injunction barring officials from DOGE and other Trump administration representatives from accessing USIP’s facilities or systems, effectively halting their involvement with the institute.

The order nullified the administration’s decision to dismiss the USIP board members and its president, confirming that they continue to hold their official roles. The appointment of individuals by DOGE was also overturned, requiring their removal from the board.

The judge said President Donald Trump and his subordinates used “acts of force” and threatened officers.

“The President’s efforts here to take over an organization outside of those bounds, contrary to statute established by Congress and by acts of force and threat using local and federal law enforcement officers, represented a gross usurpation of power and a way of conducting government affairs that unnecessarily traumatized the committed leadership and employees of USIP, who deserved better,” Howell said in the ruling.

https://www.alternet.org/usip-takeover-doge

Daily Caller: DOJ Explores Criminal Charges Against Ousted USIP Mutineers

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Only problem is that USIP is a branch of Congress, not an executive agency. Musk and his merry bunch of misfits with large testicles have no legitimate business there.

The Department of Justice is exploring potential criminal charges against former U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) officials who attempted to block the Trump administration’s leadership changes at the federally funded think tank Monday, a senior DOJ official told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The official, who requested anonymity, told the DCNF the DOJ is examining whether certain USIP actions — such as the removal and destruction of internal and external door locks — created illegal fire hazards. The official also flagged the widespread distribution of internal flyers instructing USIP staff not to cooperate with incoming Trump administration officials as potentially obstructive conduct. The DCNF was the first to report on USIP’s internal flyer campaign and destruction of door locks.

EXCLUSIVE: DOJ Explores Criminal Charges Against Ousted USIP Mutineers

EXCLUSIVE: DOJ Explores Criminal Charges Against Ousted USIP Mutineers