Miles Taylor Claims Trump Accuses Him of Treason After He Criticized the President

Weeks ago, President Donald Trump took an unprecedented action in U.S. history by issuing a directive for a federal review of a private citizen who had criticized him.

That citizen is me.

In 2018, while serving as Chief of Staff for the Department of Homeland Security, I urged my colleagues to protect our democratic institutions. Now, I’m urging federal oversight bodies to intervene.

This week, my legal team submitted a formal complaint to the Inspectors General of DHS and DOJ. We are asking them to investigate whether federal officials are acting on what we believe is an unconstitutional order targeting a citizen for expressing dissent, not for committing a crime.

I served in the initial Trump Administration and raised concerns about the abuses of power I witnessed firsthand, initially by anonymously blowing the whistle. I cautioned that if Trump regained power, he would exploit the presidency to penalize his detractors. This wasn’t just a figure of speech. I stated it would be a ” ” targeted attack against both individuals and institutions.

Since then, the Trump White House has been actively validating my concerns.

The President has insisted on suspending my security clearance and instructed DHS to investigate my time in government. Simultaneously, he declared that I was guilty of treason—an offense punishable by death—and suggested that the Attorney General should also investigate me. Trump threatened to punish me for speaking out, and now that he’s back in office, he’s acted on that threat, disregarding First Amendment protections.

However, this goes beyond my personal situation. It’s about whether we will allow any president, regardless of political affiliation, to treat criticism as a crime. That’s why this Inspector General complaint is significant.

Inspectors General are meant to be the safeguard of American democracy. They exist within federal agencies to probe misconduct and prevent the misuse of government authority. They aren’t prosecutors and don’t deliver judgments, but they expose wrongdoing, especially when public officials attempt to use their positions for political gain.

Now is the time for them to take action.

Trump appointees have been instructed to use their authority to investigate me, my former colleague , and our associates. The repercussions have already been substantial.

I’ve been compelled to leave my job because the blacklisting prevents me from doing my work. My family is facing potential financial hardship due to legal expenses, so we’ve had to start . We’ve received threats, including harassment and doxxing from stalkers. Friends have distanced themselves out of fear of retaliation. A high-ranking DHS official was even dismissed after photos surfaced showing that he in 2019. Furthermore, the Justice Department has used the President’s order against me to , making it easier for authorities to obtain search warrants against news organizations.

However, the most significant damage will occur if Trump’s aides are allowed to proceed with these retaliatory investigations without any opposition. It will set a precedent for this White House, or any future president, to investigate anyone they choose.

That’s why the Inspectors General must rise to this occasion. DHS and DOJ watchdogs have a responsibility to investigate whether their departments are being misused to punish dissent, whether federal employees are violating constitutional rights, and whether this abuse of power is the beginning of something much worse.

We are in a moment that will test democracy for the ages.

Will the system be able to protect Americans from political retaliation? Or have the guardrails corroded so badly that anyone now faces the prospect of the President’s pen becoming a sword?

This isn’t theoretical anymore. It’s happening—right here in America. And only a handful of institutions remain to stop it.

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