A national security lawyer with a reputation for defending political whistleblowers has three words of advice for outspoken critics of President-elect Donald Trump.
"Take a vacation," Mark Zaid reportedly says to those who could face arrest.
Politico on Monday published a lengthy interview with the attorney about his new stock of clientele who remain afraid that Trump meant what he said on the campaign trail when he promised retribution.
Zaid now represents dozens of current and former government officials whom he warns to take seriously the threats Trump world has been playing down as campaign bombast.
"I’m taking him and his inner circle at their word," Zaid said. "They have promised retribution and retaliation."
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The Trump administration could deploy various tactics to keep perceived "enemies from within" within arms' reach should the president decide to act against them, warned Zaid.
He argued Trump's second administration will be more organized than the first.
"This isn’t going to be Nazi Germany or the Stasi raiding everyone’s homes or anything like that," Zaid said. "I think it’s going to be methodical. I think it’s well thought out. I think it will happen fairly quickly."
Targets could well include journalists who report on leaked defense information and people such as the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency who recently revealed internal panic over Trump's return and frequently criticizes the president-elect.
"Just think about a situation where the new CIA director could be someone like Kash Patel who says, 'Hey, by the way, John Brennan, when you appeared on CNN on Oct. 29, 2023, what you said was classified and you are going to be prosecuted under the Espionage Act,'” Zaid said.
"Is that going to happen? I have no idea. I would hope not, but depending on who is put into power in the Justice Department, in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, at the CIA, as the Director of National Intelligence — the law would allow that."