The order against the firm, which did work for Democrats during the 2016 campaign, represents an escalation of efforts to punish groups the president sees as aiding his enemies.

President Donald Trump said Thursday he was suspending the security clearances of attorneys at a prominent law firm involved in launching since-discredited opposition research during the 2016 presidential campaign into any ties between the Republican candidate and Russia.

Perkins Coie represented Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 presidential race.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that would rescind security clearances and access to certain federal resources for Perkins Coie, the law firm that hired the company responsible for crafting the so-called "Steele dossier" containing alleged salacious material and Trump’s alleged connections to Russia,