Stephen Miller’s New Legal Group to Challenge Biden Policies With Lawsuits
WASHINGTON – He’s baaack.
Stephen Miller, that is.
Former President Donald Trump’s senior White House advisor and the architect behind that administration’s hard line immigration policies, is launching a new organization this week, America First Legal.
And, though the 35-year-old political operative is not a lawyer, he and likeminded allies plan to use it as a vehicle to challenge Biden administration policies that undo or conflict with the Trump agenda.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Miller said, “Anything the president does that we believe to be illegal is fair game.”
Beyond that, he suggested the legal group will eventually pursue litigation against foes beyond the White House including big tech and businesses that take positions that run counter to the positions of the Trump White House.
To carry out its goals, the group plans to tap into the expertise of Trump administration lawyers, work with Republican state attorneys general and partner with lawyers around the country who need legal and financial resources for their cases.
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Matthew Whitaker, a former acting U.S. attorney general, are among those who will sit on the group’s board of directors.
Other advisors are said to include former Sen. Jim DeMint’s Conservative Partnership Institute and Clinton-impeachment lawyer Ken Starr, who also served on Trump’s first impeachment defense team.
Not surprisingly, Trump himself is already the new entity’s biggest fan.
In an email sent from Mar-a-Lago this morning, Trump described Miller as “a fearless, principled fighter for the America First movement. He has backbone, integrity, and never gives up.
“As we know, the radical left has been relentless in waging their battles in court,” the former president continued. “Conservatives and America First supporters badly need to catch up and turn the tables, which is why I applaud Stephen and Mark Meadows for rushing to fill this critical void.
“The era of unilateral legal surrender must end—and I hope all America First patriots will get behind America First Legal,” Trump added.
Individuals familiar with the planning for America First Legal said Miller and his colleagues envision it becoming a conservative version of the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU, readers may remember, was a constant foe of the Trump White House, filing more than 400 legal challenges against the Trump administration policies.
Of course, Miller’s organization is entering an already crowded field in the conservative legal ecosystem.
Already well established in that sphere are groups including Judicial Watch, Alliance Defending Freedom and the Immigration Reform Law Institute.
But Miller and supporters say they will be distinct from those other groups, which tend to focus on specific issues. Unlike them, American First Legal will attend to the broader areas of administrative law and executive overreach.