US Interagency Group Drives Trump’s Fight Against ‘Deep State’

Documents and officials cited in reporting indicate that a large interagency working group, drawing personnel from the White House, intelligence community and multiple federal departments, has been coordinating President Donald Trump’s push to pursue retribution against figures he and his allies accuse of past misconduct. The Interagency Weaponisation Working Group has been meeting since at least May and is tasked with implementing a Trump executive order aimed at reviewing alleged abuses by law-enforcement and intelligence bodies.

Several U.S. officials confirmed the group’s existence and said its function is to carry out the order. A White House official contended that nothing in the reporting was new, while a spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said the administration is committed to “de-weaponising” government. Reuters reviewed more than 20 records and identified 39 individuals involved across agencies.

The scope of the group’s discussions, according to a source familiar with the effort, has included high-profile names from recent political controversies. An ODNI official disputed that any individual “targeting” was underway. The reporting also describes overlap with separate working groups inside the Justice Department and within ODNI, and notes that Congress has sought greater transparency about the membership, role and funding of these entities.

Unresolved questions remain over how much authority the interagency group wields, what tools it has used, and the extent to which any plans have moved from discussion to action. Agencies contacted declined to comment on operational specifics, while some figures named in the documents did not respond to requests for comment.