A broad coalition of federal officials, including intelligence officers, has been quietly steering President Donald Trump’s campaign to pursue retribution against what he describes as the “Deep State,” according to internal government documents and a source familiar with the operation.

The Interagency Weaponization Working Group, established in May, draws participants from a wide array of institutions: the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the CIA, the Justice and Defense Departments, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the IRS, and the Federal Communications Commission, among others.

On his inauguration day in January, Trump signed an executive order instructing the attorney general to work with other agencies “to identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the federal government related to the weaponization of law enforcement and the weaponization of the Intelligence Community.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard subsequently created parallel task forces within their departments to, in their words, “root out” officials accused of abusing federal power against Trump.

After Reuters contacted agencies for comment on Monday, Fox News confirmed the group’s existence, quoting Gabbard as saying she “stood up this working group.”

Officials confirm scope of interagency effort

While key details of the initiative had not previously been reported, multiple officials confirmed the Interagency Weaponization Working Group’s existence and said its mandate was to implement Trump’s executive order.

“None of this reporting is new,” a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. ODNI spokesperson Olivia Coleman added, “Americans deserve a government committed to deweaponizing, depoliticizing and ensuring that power is never again turned against the people it’s meant to serve.”

The formation of the group underscores how far-reaching the administration’s campaign to “deweaponize” federal institutions has become. Interagency groups of this nature typically help coordinate policy across departments, align enforcement priorities, and agree on unified actions.

Inside the “Deep State” mandate

Trump and his allies have repeatedly used the term “weaponization” to describe what they claim,  without evidence, were politically motivated investigations and prosecutions targeting him during the Russia inquiry, his two impeachments, and multiple criminal trials.

According to one source, the group’s mission is “basically to go after ‘the Deep State,’” referring to officials from previous administrations as well as holdovers from Trump’s own first term.

Among those allegedly discussed by the working group, the source said, were former FBI Director James Comey, Anthony Fauci, Trump’s chief medical advisor during the COVID-19 pandemic, and senior military commanders who enforced vaccine mandates for service members.

The discussions reportedly extended beyond current and former government officials to include Hunter Biden, the former president’s son.

However, a senior ODNI official denied this, stating there was “no targeting of any individual person for retribution,” and described the group’s work as simply reviewing “available facts and evidence” regarding potential past abuses of power.

Conflicting accounts on group’s purpose

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Lawyers for Comey and Hunter Biden did not respond to requests for comment, and Fauci offered no immediate statement.

Reuters reviewed more than 20 government records identifying 39 officials linked to the interagency group. The documents also referenced Bondi’s separate Weaponization Working Group within the Justice Department and a smaller subgroup focusing on the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

One of the key figures cited by the source is Ed Martin, a Justice Department attorney who failed to secure Senate confirmation as US attorney for Washington earlier this year due to his public support for January 6 rioters. Martin now serves as the department’s pardon attorney and oversees Bondi’s DOJ task force.

Other members include opponents of vaccine mandates and vocal proponents of Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, according to their social media and public records.

Justice Department’s Ed Martin emerges as key player

A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed that Trump had instructed Bondi and Gabbard to review alleged “weaponization” by prior administrations but declined to comment specifically on the interagency group’s activities.

It remains unclear whether the group possesses the authority to compel agency action or serves primarily in an advisory capacity.

According to one source, Paul McNamara, a retired Marine officer and aide to Gabbard, plays a central role in the interagency group. McNamara also oversees Gabbard’s Directors Initiatives Group (DIG),  a separate internal body under congressional scrutiny.

Lawmakers recently included language in the defense budget bill requiring Gabbard to disclose DIG’s membership, functions, and sources of funding.

The same source said ODNI officials had discussed using “technical tools” to scour unclassified and classified networks for evidence of “Deep State” activity, a claim denied by ODNI officials as “not how the systems operate.”

Broader retaliatory focus, unverified topics of discussion

The source said one major focus of the interagency group was revisiting investigations tied to the alleged Russia interference probe and punishing officials involved in the January 6 prosecutions.

Bondi’s Justice Department team has been tasked with reviewing those cases, though DOJ denies the existence of a separate January 6 subgroup.

Other matters reportedly raised include the Jeffrey Epstein files, prosecutions of Trump advisors Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, and proposals to revoke security clearances for transgender officials,  though these claims could not be independently verified.

The White House and ODNI both denied that such topics were discussed, as per the report.

Many group members share Trump-aligned views

Documents reviewed by Reuters indicate that at least 39 current and former officials have participated in the interagency group. Among them is Carolyn Rocco, an ODNI official and former Air Force officer, who wrote that participants should help one another “understand current implications of past weaponization.”

She and another Air Force veteran involved in the effort were signatories of a January 2024 open letter pledging to pursue court-martials for commanders who enforced the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Several officials linked to the group have amplified Trump’s false claims of election fraud. One of them, Andrew “Mac” Warner,  former West Virginia secretary of state and now an attorney in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, previously alleged that the CIA “stole” the 2020 election.

Other names appearing in the reviewed documents include four White House officials, an aide to Vice President JD Vance, and at least seven Justice Department employees, among them Jared Wise, a former FBI agent prosecuted for participating in the January 6 assault and now part of Bondi’s DOJ team.

CIA, other agencies decline to comment

Two CIA officers are also listed in documents related to the interagency group, though their specific roles remain unclear. The CIA, legally barred from domestic operations, declined to comment.

Other agencies with apparent involvement, including the FCC, FBI, IRS, and Department of Defense,  also did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

A DHS spokesperson, however, said the department was working with other agencies “to reverse the harm caused by the prior administration.”