Trump and Doge’s Latest Assault on The Constitution: An Armed Invasion of Private Property

I have seen my share of government overreach throughout my years as an attorney, but the events of mid-March 2025 at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington, D.C., stand out as a grotesque abuse of power that should send chills down the spine of anyone who values liberty—or peace, for that matter.

Donald Trump and his lackey Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) didn’t just dismantle a federally funded nonprofit dedicated to preventing global conflict; they trampled the Fourth Amendment in the process, turning a symbol of American soft power into a battleground for authoritarian excess.

Let’s rewind to March 17, 2025. DOGE operatives, backed by D.C. police and reportedly egged on by FBI agents, stormed the USIP headquarters near the National Mall. This wasn’t a polite knock-and-announce. It was a full-on takeover—armed law enforcement escorting Trump loyalists into a private, congressionally funded nonprofit’s building, evicting staff, and installing a puppet “acting president,” Kenneth Jackson, over the objections of USIP’s legitimate leadership. George Moose, the acting president at the time, called it what it was: an “illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch of a private nonprofit.” He’s right. And as a defense lawyer, I’d argue it’s also a textbook violation of our constitutional right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.

The Fourth Amendment exists for a reason. It’s a bulwark against the kind of arbitrary government intrusion that Trump and DOGE seem to revel in. “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated,” it declares, demanding warrants based on probable cause. Yet here we are, watching a federally orchestrated goon squad barge into a private entity’s headquarters without a shred of legal justification that holds water. USIP isn’t a federal agency; it’s an independent nonprofit created by Congress in 1984 to promote peacebuilding. Its building isn’t government property—it’s owned by the institute, funded in part by private donations. So where was the warrant? Where was the probable cause? There wasn’t any. This was a power grab, plain and simple, dressed up as “efficiency.”

Trump’s February 19 executive order targeting USIP for “reduction” doesn’t excuse this. That order falsely labeled USIP a “government entity” and demanded it shrink to a skeleton crew within 14 days. But even if you buy the White House’s flimsy rationale—that taxpayers shouldn’t fund a $50 million-a-year “peace” outfit—nothing in that order authorizes armed agents to seize private property or oust staff by force. The administration’s own lawyers admitted in court that the takeover was rushed, with U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell—who denied USIP’s emergency restraining order on March 20—calling DOGE’s actions “offensive” and “abominable.” She was “very offended” by how DOGE operated, noting the “heavy law enforcement presence” and questioning why less extreme measures weren’t pursued. Yet she let it stand, leaving USIP’s staff and mission in tatters.

This isn’t just about one think tank. It’s about what Trump and Musk’s DOGE represent: a cavalier disregard for constitutional norms that threatens us all. Over my career, I’ve seen the Fourth Amendment eroded in the name of “law and order”—warrantless searches, pretextual stops, asset forfeiture abuses. But this takes it to a new level. If the government can storm a private nonprofit’s headquarters, fire its board en masse (11 of 15 members were axed by March 14), and install loyalists without due process, what’s stopping them from doing it to your home, your business, your advocacy group? The parallels to unreasonable search and seizure are stark. No judicial oversight, no articulated crime, just brute force and a vague executive fiat. That’s not efficiency; it’s tyranny.

The fallout has been devastating. By March 29, nearly all of USIP’s U.S.-based staff—over 200 people—received termination emails late at night, effective immediately. Overseas employees were given until April 9 to flee to “safe” locations before their inevitable firing. These weren’t faceless bureaucrats; they were peacebuilders—people who trained negotiators, mediated conflicts, and kept American troops out of unnecessary wars. George Foote, USIP’s outside counsel, called their dismissal “unconscionable and deeply troubling.” He’s not wrong. And the fact that DOGE muscled in with armed police, canceled USIP’s private security contract, and reportedly enlisted a Georgia cybersecurity expert to crack the institute’s systems only deepens the Fourth Amendment violation. This wasn’t just a seizure of property—it was a seizure of sensitive data, networks, and intellectual capital, all without legal grounding.

Trump’s defenders will cry, “He’s draining the swamp!” But what swamp? USIP wasn’t some bloated bureaucracy; it was a lean operation with a nearly $80 million endowment, including a building funded by donors like Boeing. Its staff weren’t federal employees but private citizens working for a congressional mandate. The White House claims it’s saving taxpayer dollars, yet the hypocrisy is galling—Trump, who’s spent millions golfing at Mar-a-Lago, suddenly cares about $50 million for peace? Please. This is about control, not cost-cutting. And Musk, the billionaire puppeteer behind DOGE, has no business playing dictator over a nonprofit he doesn’t understand. His Tesla empire thrives on government subsidies, yet he’s gleefully gutting an institution that’s saved lives and taxpayer-funded wars.

For liberals like me, this is personal. USIP embodied the best of progressive ideals—diplomacy over bombs, dialogue over division. It briefed the Pentagon, trained peacekeepers, and mediated in places like Iraq and Bosnia. Now it’s a casualty of Trump’s ego and Musk’s hubris. But as a defense lawyer, my outrage is constitutional. The Fourth Amendment isn’t a suggestion; it’s a command. When the government storms private property with armed agents, no warrant, and no cause—then fires everyone in sight—it’s not just an attack on peace. It’s an attack on our rights.

We can’t let this slide. USIP’s lawsuit against Trump and DOGE, filed March 18, is a start—demanding reinstatement of its board and an end to the takeover. More court hearings are set for April. But we need more than litigation. We need outrage, protest, and a recommitment to the principles that keep us free. Trump and DOGE think they can bulldoze anything in their path—nonprofits, rights, decency. They’re wrong. The Fourth Amendment still stands, and so must we. If we don’t fight this now, the next unreasonable seizure might be at your door.