A judge denied former board members from the U.S. Institute of Peace’s request for a restraining order against the Department of Government Efficiency but remained sympathetic.
In a Thursday ruling, U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell rejected the request by several former USIP board members, saying there was “confusion in the complaint on a number of levels.” However, she was staunchly critical of the Trump administration for its decision to get the Metropolitan Police Department, Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and FBI involved in the dispute.
“I’m very offended by how DOGE has operated at the institute,” Howell said, according to the Washington Post. “But that concern about how this has gone down is not one that can sway me in my consideration of factors of the TRO.”
She added that DOGE staffers treated the USIP staffers “abominably.”
USIP has been embroiled in a dispute with DOGE since Friday, when the organization blocked DOGE staffers from entering the building with FBI agents in tow. President Donald Trump then gutted the board, had it vote to remove George Moose as president and CEO of the organization, and installed Kenneth Jackson as acting president.
When DOGE staffers entered on Monday, Moose claimed they had “broken into our building.” The MPD were called at 4 p.m., saying they were contacted about an “incident” in which at least one person was “refusing to leave the property at the direction of the acting USIP President.”
“The acting USIP President advised MPD members that there were unauthorized individuals inside of the building that were refusing to leave and refusing to provide him access to the facility. MPD members went to the USIP building and contacted an individual who allowed MPD members inside of the building. Once inside of the building, the acting USIP President requested that all the unauthorized individuals inside of the building leave,” the police department’s statement said.
In a post on X, DOGE said Moose “denied lawful access” to Jackson, and then it claimed he “tried to fire USIP’s private security team when said security team went to give access to Mr. Jackson.”
Several ousted board members sued in their official capacities after the incident. However, Howell ruled they didn’t properly show they would be irreparably harmed if they weren’t reinstated and the DOGE staffers allowed to stay in the building.
An executive order dated Feb. 19 targeted USIP, the U.S. African Development Foundation, the Inter-American Foundation, and the Presidio Trust.
The organization underwent an overhaul following President Donald Trump’s election. Its “About” page has been changed since last year and was tailored to include much of Trump’s rhetoric.
WHAT IS DOGE? WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY
The group said it was founded to support “U.S. interests by helping to prevent violent conflicts and broker peace deals abroad. Our work helps keep America safe, reducing the risk that the United States will be drawn into costly foreign wars that drive terrorism, criminal gangs and migration.”
An archived version of the website from last year shows a different description.