Trump's Enemies List: Every Major Target From Comey to Milley
The Trump administration has moved against dozens of officials, prosecutors, and judges. Here's every major target — from James Comey to Mark Milley — and why it matters for DC.
In brief
The Trump administration has built an expansive list of targeted individuals — former law enforcement officials, military generals, diplomats, and prosecutors — pursued through security clearance revocations, DOJ investigations, and public presidential condemnation. James Comey, Mark Milley, Liz Cheney, and dozens of others now face formal or informal government action. This is the most comprehensive accounting of who is targeted and why.
🔑 Key Takeaways
The Trump administration has formally targeted over 50 individuals through executive orders, DOJ referrals, or security clearance revocations since January 2025.
Former FBI Director James Comey faces renewed DOJ scrutiny, with investigators examining his handling of the Clinton email and Russia investigations.
Retired General Mark Milley lost his security clearance and faces potential prosecution under the Espionage Act, according to administration officials.
Former Representative Liz Cheney was named in a DOJ inquiry related to the January 6th Committee's evidence handling — a move legal scholars call constitutionally unprecedented.
The campaign spans law enforcement, military, intelligence, and the judiciary — reshaping how Washington's permanent government calculates political risk.
The Full Roster: Who the Trump Administration Is Targeting
Washington has seen political vendettas before. What distinguishes the current moment is the institutional machinery being deployed — the Department of Justice, the Pentagon, the intelligence community, and the executive order apparatus — all functioning, critics argue, as instruments of personal and political retribution. ABC News has documented a growing list of individuals facing formal government action, a roster that cuts across party lines and government institutions.
James Comey, the former FBI Director fired by Trump in May 2017, remains one of the administration's most publicly condemned targets. The DOJ reopened scrutiny of his conduct during the Hillary Clinton email investigation and the early stages of the Russia counterintelligence probe. Comey has denied wrongdoing and called the renewed investigation politically motivated. His case has become a rallying point for former law enforcement officials who see the DOJ's current posture as a fundamental break from prosecutorial norms.
Mark Milley, the retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has faced perhaps the most dramatic targeting of any military figure. Trump revoked Milley's security clearance in early 2025 and directed the DOJ to examine whether his calls to Chinese military counterparts in the final days of the first Trump administration constituted a violation of federal law. The Department of Defense has not confirmed any formal criminal referral, but Milley's legal exposure has been widely reported, and he has retained private counsel.
Liz Cheney, the former Wyoming congresswoman and vice chair of the January 6th Select Committee, was named in a DOJ inquiry examining whether committee members improperly handled or withheld evidence. Constitutional law scholars at Georgetown and George Washington University have called the inquiry a direct assault on the Speech or Debate Clause, which protects members of Congress from executive branch prosecution for legislative acts. Cheney has responded defiantly, framing the investigation as proof of what she warned voters about before losing her 2022 primary.
Intelligence Officials, Prosecutors, and Diplomats: The Wider Net
Beyond the marquee names, the administration's targeting extends deep into the national security apparatus. John Brennan, the former CIA Director, and James Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence, both had their security clearances revoked — a punitive act that carries symbolic weight in a city where clearances are currency. Both men had been vocal critics of Trump's foreign policy and his relationships with autocratic governments.
The list also includes Andrew McCabe, the former FBI Deputy Director who was fired in 2018 and later cleared of criminal wrongdoing by a federal judge. McCabe faces renewed DOJ attention under the current administration. Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, the FBI officials whose private text messages became a political flashpoint, have also been named in administration communications as subjects of ongoing review.
Career prosecutors who worked on Trump-related cases have faced professional consequences, including reassignment, forced resignation, or public denunciation by senior DOJ officials. The Department of Justice under Attorney General Pam Bondi has conducted sweeping personnel reviews of offices in the Southern District of New York and the District of Columbia, two jurisdictions that handled high-profile Trump prosecutions. According to reporting by the Washington Post, more than two dozen career prosecutors have departed or been reassigned since January 2025.
On the diplomatic front, Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine whose 2019 congressional testimony was central to the first Trump impeachment, has faced a formal security review. Alexander Vindman, the retired Army Lieutenant Colonel who also testified during the first impeachment, had his security clearance revoked and faces ongoing scrutiny of his post-government consulting work.
Why This Matters in Washington: The Capital's Permanent Government Under Siege
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Washington operates on a dual track: elected officials come and go, but the permanent government — the career civil servants, senior military officers, intelligence professionals, and federal prosecutors who staff the agencies — is supposed to provide continuity and institutional memory regardless of which party holds power. What the Trump administration's targeting campaign has done, deliberately or as a byproduct, is shatter the perceived neutrality of that arrangement.
In neighborhoods like Capitol Hill, Foggy Bottom, and Bethesda, where federal employees and national security professionals cluster, the practical consequences are already visible. Former officials are retaining lawyers. Retired generals are consulting with civil liberties organizations. Career DOJ attorneys are quietly updating their resumes. The chilling effect on institutional dissent — on the willingness of current officials to document concerns through proper channels — may be the most consequential long-term damage, one that won't show up in any executive order or DOJ press release.
For those tracking DC's political power dynamics, this moment represents a fundamental realignment of risk. See our DC Power Players Index and DC Political Influence Rankings for broader context on who holds leverage in the current environment. Our DC Politics Guide 2026 tracks the institutional shifts reshaping the capital in real time.
The Legal Framework: What Authorities the Administration Is Using
The administration has deployed several distinct legal mechanisms to pursue individuals on the list. Security clearance revocations require no judicial approval and are largely unreviewable by courts — a feature, not a bug, from the administration's strategic perspective. Executive orders have been used to direct agency reviews of specific individuals, creating bureaucratic pressure without requiring criminal charges.
Criminal referrals and DOJ investigations carry higher procedural burdens but also higher political stakes. Legal observers note that several of the investigations appear to lack the evidentiary foundation that would survive a motion to dismiss, suggesting their purpose may be investigative harassment rather than genuine prosecution. The Brennan Center for Justice has published detailed analysis of the constitutional limits on using DOJ as an instrument of political targeting, citing separation of powers doctrine and First Amendment protections for government speech.
Congress retains oversight authority over DOJ, but with Republican majorities in both chambers aligned with the White House, meaningful legislative pushback has been limited. Senate Judiciary Committee hearings have produced pointed questioning of DOJ witnesses but no binding legislative action. For deeper coverage of Capitol Hill dynamics, see our Politics coverage and Power Moves section.
Original Analysis: A Pattern Without Modern Precedent
WDCM's editorial review board has tracked executive branch targeting of former officials across five administrations. No prior administration has simultaneously pursued active DOJ investigations, security clearance revocations, and public presidential denunciations against more than a dozen named individuals from the opposing political camp. The Nixon enemies list — the historical touchstone for this kind of behavior — was a political document, not a legal one. What distinguishes the current moment is the use of the government's prosecutorial and administrative machinery as the delivery mechanism.
The 50-plus individuals now formally or informally targeted represent a cross-section of the national security state: 4 former Cabinet-level officials, at least 6 former senior military officers, more than 20 career prosecutors or FBI officials, and several former members of Congress. That breadth is not incidental — it is the point. The message sent to current officials watching from inside the agencies is that dissent carries a permanent price.
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FAQ: Trump Administration Targets — What You Need to Know
Q: Why is James Comey being targeted by the Trump administration? A: The Trump administration has directed DOJ scrutiny at James Comey over his handling of the 2016 Clinton email investigation and the Russia counterintelligence probe he launched before being fired in May 2017. Trump has publicly accused Comey of misconduct for years. Comey denies wrongdoing and has characterized the renewed investigation as retaliation.
Q: What happened to Mark Milley's security clearance? A: President Trump revoked Mark Milley's security clearance in early 2025 via executive order. The administration also directed DOJ to examine whether Milley's calls to Chinese military officials in 2020 — reported in Bob Woodward's book — violated federal law. Milley has retained private legal counsel.
Q: Is Liz Cheney actually facing prosecution? A: The DOJ has opened an inquiry into Cheney and other members of the January 6th Select Committee over evidence handling. No formal charges have been filed as of 2026. Constitutional scholars argue the Speech or Debate Clause provides significant protection for legislative acts, making prosecution legally difficult but not impossible.
Q: Can the president legally revoke anyone's security clearance? A: Yes. Under existing executive authority, the president has broad, largely unreviewable power to revoke security clearances for any former official. Courts have generally declined to second-guess clearance revocations, making it one of the most legally insulated tools the administration is using.
Q: How many people has the Trump administration formally targeted? A: By WDCM's editorial count, drawing on ABC News, Washington Post, and DOJ public records, more than 50 individuals have faced formal or informal government action — ranging from executive order-directed reviews to active DOJ investigations — since January 2025.
Q: What is the difference between this and Nixon's enemies list? A: Nixon's enemies list was a political and tax-audit tool — an internal White House document used to flag political opponents for IRS harassment and social exclusion. The current campaign is institutionally broader, deploying the DOJ's criminal apparatus, Pentagon personnel reviews, and intelligence community mechanisms against named individuals. Legal scholars describe it as qualitatively different in scope and governmental reach.
What to Watch Next: Legal challenges to security clearance revocations are moving through federal courts, with at least two cases that could force appellate review of presidential clearance authority. Congressional Democrats are preparing an oversight report on DOJ personnel changes — watch for that release in mid-2026. And as the 2026 midterms approach, several of the targeted individuals, including Liz Cheney, have signaled interest in electoral or advocacy roles that could transform them from targets into political forces. The bottom line: this list is not static. Washington's power balance is shifting, and WDCM will track every move.
Reporting drawn from: ABC News. Washington DC Magazine provides original analysis, DC-specific context, and editorial perspective beyond the source material.This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by WDCM editorial staff. Washington DC Magazine is committed to accuracy, transparency, and editorial integrity. If you believe any information in this article requires correction, please contact editor@washingtondcmagazine.com.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
