The move, signed by President Trump on Thursday, is a major escalation of his promise to pursue perceived foes.

The president appears to be moving full-steam ahead with his plan to pursue retribution against his political enemies.

President Trump’s executive order targeting Special Counsel Jack Smith’s personal attorney and the attorney’s law firm, Covington & Burling, underscores an emerging policy targeting the agents of what Mr. Trump and his aides call “the weaponization of government.”