Showdown at US Institute of Peace: Legal Battle Against Trump's 'Hostile Takeover'

The US Institute of Peace and its board members have launched a lawsuit against the Trump administration to prevent their removal and stop a takeover by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. The legal battle highlights Trump’s efforts to exert control over Congress-created entities amid claims of unauthorized firings.

The US Institute of Peace, supported by several board members, is suing the Trump administration, aiming to halt their dismissal and prevent Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing its premises. The lawsuit, filed late Tuesday in Washington, outlines the steps taken by institute staff, including calls to police, to stop DOGE representatives and Trump administration affiliates from entering the headquarters.

Last month, President Donald Trump's executive order targeted the institute and three other entities for significant downsizing. Founded by Congress in 1984 to address and resolve conflicts, board members require presidential nomination and Senate confirmation.

The lawsuit accuses the White House of unauthorized dismissals performed via email, detailing how the remaining board members replaced the institute's president, George Moose, with Kenneth Jackson from the US Agency for International Development, according to the legal complaint.

Efforts by DOGE staff to enter the building on Monday were initially thwarted but succeeded later with assistance from the police. The incident initiated around 3 p.m. with police being contacted by the institute for trespassing issues. By 4 p.m., the acting president, likely Jackson, claimed denial of access and reported "unauthorized individuals" inside the facility. All unauthorized individuals eventually vacated the site, according to the police statement.

The lawsuit argues that DOGE representatives were repeatedly informed by the institute's lawyer that the executive retains no jurisdiction over the nonprofit. The White House has yet to comment on the lawsuit, the latest in a line of challenges against Trump's strategy to dismantle US foreign assistance agencies, minimize federal government size, and concentrate power over entities established by Congress. A federal judge recently ruled against USAID cuts on constitutional grounds, restricting DOGE from further similar actions.

New York Rep. Gregory Meeks and New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, lead Democrats on foreign affairs committees in Congress, view the institute's "hostile takeover" as symptomatic of Trump and Musk's effort to demolish historic US structures. Leaders of other agencies subjected to Trump's executive order have similarly filed lawsuits to reverse or pause staff removals and contract cancellations. In a connected ruling, a judge deemed it permissible to eliminate most US-Africa agency contracts and employees but obligated the government to have DOGE elucidate their strategies to preserve the agency's minimal operational presence as per legal requirements. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly described opposition from "entitled, rogue bureaucrats" as unjustified resistance against Trump's orders or barring representatives from agency access.

(With inputs from agencies.)