President Donald Trump’s strike this week against a Democratic-linked law firm came years after it faced allegations of aiding unethical and, in some cases, illegal efforts to weaponize the Justice Department against Trump.

U.S. law firm Perkins Coie has hired outside lawyers from Williams & Connolly in response to President Donald Trump's executive order last week punishing the firm over its prior work for Hillary Clinton and its internal policies promoting diversity and inclusion.

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.