Today, I received an e-mail from Miles Taylor (defiance.org) which lists 20 authors critical of Trump who have been threatened and/or investigated by Donald Trump.
Here's the list:
Authors Critical of Trump: Targets of Retribution
Tier 1 — Indicted
James Comey — A Higher Loyalty (2018), Saving Justice (2021) — Former FBI director. Indicted in September 2025 on one count of false statements to Congress and one of obstruction; case dropped. Since indicted again related to a social media post of seashells that purportedly "threatened" Trump's life.
John Bolton — The Room Where It Happened (2020) — Former Trump national security advisor. Indicted on 18 counts over classified material allegedly contained in his diaries, although none of it is alleged to have actually ended up in his book.
Tier 2 — Under Investigation / Subpoenaed
John Brennan — Undaunted (2020) — Former CIA director. The FBI opened a criminal probe in July 2025 after Trump CIA Director Ratcliffe referred a "lessons-learned" review of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment to the Justice Department. Separately subpoenaed in the Southern District of Florida (SDFL) "grand conspiracy" probe into the origins of the Russia investigation.
James Clapper — Facts and Fears (2018) — Former Director of National Intelligence. Named alongside Brennan and Comey as "excessively involved" in drafting the 2017 assessment and swept into the SDFL Russiagate counter-investigation subpoena wave in late 2025.
Peter Strzok — Compromised (2020) — Former FBI official. Subpoenaed in November 2025 by the SDFL grand jury as the FBI's former lead Crossfire Hurricane counterintelligence agent; a perennial Trump target because of his 2016 anti-Trump texts.
Andrew McCabe — The Threat (2019) — Former acting FBI director. Subpoenaed in March 2026 in the same conspiracy probe. As noted above, his attorney, Michael Bromwich, called it "a vendetta in search of a crime."
Adam Schiff — Midnight in Washington (2021) — U.S. Senator. Mortgage-fraud allegations sent to DOJ; the Maryland U.S. Attorney opened a probe over Schiff's Maryland/California primary-residence claims. Clearance also revoked.
Miles Taylor — A Warning (2019, anonymous), Blowback (2023) — Former Trump DHS chief of staff. Named in an April 2025 presidential memorandum directing a DHS/DOJ probe. Trump claimed "treason." Security clearance revoked.
Cassidy Hutchinson — Enough (2024) — Former Trump official. DOJ's Civil Rights Division, under Harmeet Dhillon, opened a criminal investigation around April 2026 into whether she lied to Congress in her January 6 testimony, following a referral from Rep. Barry Loudermilk.
Eric Swalwell — Endgame (2021) — Former Member of Congress. Threatened with mortgage fraud investigation while in office. (Since his resignation from Congress amidst allegations of impropriety, DOJ has reportedly opened another investigation into him.)
Tier 3 — Officially Targeted (clearances stripped, memoranda, referrals, public threats)
Alexander Vindman — Here, Right Matters (2021) — Former Trump National Security Council staff. Security clearance revoked by March 2025 presidential memorandum. First-impeachment witness.
Fiona Hill — There Is Nothing for You Here (2021) — Former Trump National Security Council staff. Clearance revoked in the same March 2025 memo. Testified in the first impeachment alongside Vindman.
Adam Kinzinger — Renegade (2023) — Former Member of Congress. Clearance revoked in the March 2025 memo. As a J6 committee member, he is also exposed to the recurring GOP/DOJ push to prosecute the committee's work.
Liz Cheney — Oath and Honor (2023) — Former Member of Congress. Clearance revoked. Referred by Rep. Loudermilk in December 2024 for alleged witness tampering tied to Hutchinson, and the subject of Trump's public musings about prosecution and even military tribunals.
Norm Eisen— A Case for the American People (2020) — Former Obama official and ambassador. Clearance revoked (more than once). A lead litigator against the administration.
Andrew Weissmann — Where Law Ends (2020) — Former federal prosecutor. Clearance revoked in the March 2025 memo. Lead Mueller prosecutor and frequent on-air critic.
Mark Esper — A Sacred Oath (2022) — Former Trump Defense Secretary. A recurring target of Trump's retribution rhetoric and named among "disloyal" former officials with veiled threats of action and revocation of Esper's security detail.
Chris Christie — Republican Rescue (2021), Let Me Finish (2019) — Former NJ governor. Persistent Trump antagonist and former ally; Trump has publicly threatened a DOJ investigation.
Tier 4 — Targeted Through Trump's Personal Litigation
Bob Woodward — Rage (2020), War (2024) — Famed Washington Post journalist. Trump sued Woodward, Simon & Schuster, and Paramount for roughly $50 million over The Trump Tapes audiobook, claiming a copyright interest in his own interview answers. A federal judge dismissed the suit in July 2025.
Mary Trump — Too Much and Never Enough (2020), Who Could Ever Love You (2024) — Trump's niece. He brought a breach-of-contract/NDA suit (over her sharing his tax records with the New York Times, which she disclosed in her first book); a New York judge declined to pause the case during his presidency.