The US Institute of Peace and many of its board members have sued the Trump administration, seeking to prevent their removal and stop Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) from taking over and accessing the independent non-profit organisation’s building and systems.
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The lawsuit filed late on Tuesday in US District Court in Washington describes the lengths that institute staff resorted to, including calling the police, in an effort to prevent Doge representatives and others working with the Republican administration from accessing the headquarters near the State Department.
An executive order last month from US President Donald Trump targeted the institute and three other agencies for large-scale reductions. The think tank, which seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, was created and funded by Congress in 1984. Board members are nominated by the president and must be confirmed by the Senate.
Among the board members who filed the suit is former US ambassador to Russia John Sullivan, who was nominated to the ambassadorial role in Trump’s first term and continued to serve as ambassador under former president Joe Biden and then was picked by Biden for the board.
The lawsuit accuses the White House of illegal firings by email and said the remaining board members – Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Defence University President Peter Garvin – also ousted the institute’s president, George Moose.
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In his place, the three appointed Kenneth Jackson, an administrator with the US Agency for International Development, according to the lawsuit.