Officials at an independent institute focused on peace are seeking a federal court order to prevent actions by the Trump administration and a cost-cutting team led by Elon Musk, which they described as a “lawless assault.”
The U.S. Institute of Peace filed a lawsuit against President Trump and others, requesting intervention from the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia to block what they term an illegal “takeover by force.”
A confrontation on Monday resulted in police assistance to remove staff members from the institute's Washington headquarters after the White House undertook significant changes to the institute’s board and installed a new acting president.
Last month, President Trump issued an executive order mandating the institute to limit its operations to the “statutory minimum.” However, officials from the institute contend that Trump and Musk lack the authority to disband its operations, as the organization is a congressionally chartered nonprofit independent of the executive branch.
The lawsuit claims the executive order mischaracterizes the institute as a “government entity.” It accuses members of Musk’s Department for Government Efficiency of attempting to “plunder” the agency's office to gain control of the institute's infrastructure, including sensitive computer systems.
The Justice Department countered that the institute is indeed a government entity and asserted that the president has the authority to remove board members. Department lawyers argued that the institute lacked the ability to file the lawsuit since it was not authorized by its new acting president, Kenneth Jackson, a State Department official.
In response to inquiries regarding the lawsuit, a White House spokesperson reiterated a previous statement accusing the institute’s staff of defying Trump's executive order, stating, “Rogue bureaucrats will not be allowed to hold agencies hostage.”
The lawsuit claims that the president violated the 1984 legislation that established the institute as an independent nonprofit by dismissing all but three board members. Those remaining members—Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Peter A. Garvin, president of the National Defense University—then replaced the acting president, George Moose, with Jackson.
The suit seeks a court order to ensure that Moose is not removed or obstructed from serving as president. Rubio, Hegseth, Garvin, and Jackson are named as defendants, the latter being involved in dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The conflict between the Trump administration and the institute became public on Monday when Jackson and a team arrived at the agency's offices in an attempt to gain entry. They faced resistance from the institute’s legal team, while Moose and several staff members refused to exit the premises.
Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department responded to a call from the U.S. attorney’s office reporting “unauthorized individuals” in the building. Police indicated that documents showed Jackson was lawfully in charge of the facility, and officers departed once all individuals inside had exited.
Although the institute’s office is located on Navy-owned land, it has stated that its headquarters was funded by private donors and is designed with features emphasizing transparency.