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Noted national security lawyer Mark Zaid has some advice for current and former government officials living under fears of "retribution" from the Donald Trump administration—"Take a vacation."
Knewz.com has learned that the lawyer's current clientele features several noted individuals who feel like Trump would target them once he takes Office, given the President-elect's hostile rhetoric toward his political enemies.
Trump's alleged plans of how he would deal with those critical of him or those who opposed his second White House ascension have raised significant concern, leading to many claiming that his approach going into the second term of the Presidency is rather "dictatorial."
The President-elect's potential plans of using the United States military and the National Guard to deal with those who politically oppose him – or potentially using the nation's armed forces to expedite his promised "mass deportation" process – have given further traction to these concerns, as well as his previous comments about a "vengeance-filled second term."
Reports have pointed out that "Trump promised to carry out a campaign of retribution and revenge against his critics, including specific members of Congress, the media and even the private sector."
In a climate tense with possible legal revenge, critics of the President-elect have turned to national security lawyer Zaid to prepare for the worst.
Notably, Trump said during an interview with Univision back in November 2023 that the "weaponization" of the Department of Justice – a phenomenon he holds responsible for getting slapped with a 34-count felony indictment – could happen in "reverse."
"It could certainly happen in reverse. What they've done is they've released the genie out of the box… If I happen to be president and I see somebody who's doing well and beating me very badly, I say go down and indict them. Mostly what that would be, you know, they would be out of business. They'd be out they'd be out of the election," the then-Presidential hopeful said at the time.
Trump also justified his need to exact revenge on his "persecutors" for going after him in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, where he said, "When this election is over, based on what they've done, I would have every right to go after them."
"What happened to me has never happened in this country before, and it has to stop... I have been under siege, no one has ever seen anything like this in this country."
Regarding his rather concerned clientele, Zaid said that "short of arresting them... there are plenty of other ways that the incoming Trump administration could make life difficult for his opponents, from denying them security clearances to charging them with obscure national security statutes."
"For a lot of these cases, there aren’t a lot of steps that can be taken proactively... But we’re taking steps to prepare so that we don’t have to react at the time," the national security law, freedom of speech constitutional claims, and government accountability lawyer said in an exclusive statement.
"Both Trump and JD Vance have made all sorts of statements, as a matter of fact, that they would retaliate against their political enemies. Trump has said that he wants his presidency to be based on fulfilled promises," he added.
"So I listen to that and I think that it would be naive and foolish of me not to take what they say seriously and prepare as best as one can."
It is worth noting in this regard that Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen warned in the aftermath of Trump's suggestions of using the U.S. military to deal with political enemies that the former President's threats should be taken seriously.
"The big warning that I want people to understand is: When Donald Trump says something, stop sane-washing it. Stop trying to make it into something which has some normalcy to it. What he says, he intends to do," Cohen said during an interview with former White House Press Secretary and MSNBC anchor Jen Psaki on October 6.
"When he turns around and says gentle, you know, like the head of his network or other people who are critics, that he intends to use SEAL Team Six or the military within which to round up his critics or his opponents, he intends to do it. And I say that with firsthand experience," Cohen added.
Regarding the specifics of the Trump administration's potential retribution, Zaid commented that he believes "it’s going to be methodical."
"I think it’s well thought out... It could include criminal penalties, without a doubt. There are numerous opportunities for a second Trump administration not to necessarily abuse the law, but to use the law to an extent that goes beyond existing norms that we have seen in the past," Zaid explained.
In light of the possible actions the Trump administration could take against its alleged "targets," Zaid has varied advice for his clients. However, he said during an interview with POLITICO that he has advised some of them to "Take a vacation."
"There are a small number of people who I have told, 'Look, you should take a vacation outside of the country around the time of inauguration, just to see what happens. Just go on a routine vacation and see what plays out come Jan. 20, 21st, 22nd,'" the lawyer told the outlet.
"By that time, we’ll know who’s going to be [in senior administration roles] and whether they will be more fundamentalist about this issue than the general politician who’s appointed into a position that requires Senate confirmation."