President Donald Trump’s personal attorney has demanded that the Center for American Progress (CAP), a liberal think tank, retract a report concerning National Guard deployments. A nine-page letter sent Monday by attorney Alejandro Brito warned the organization to withdraw the document by Friday at 5 p.m. EDT. The letter threatens a defamation lawsuit seeking at least $5 billion in damages if the think tank does not comply.
The dispute centers on a report published by CAP last month regarding the administration’s use of the National Guard. The think tank’s report stated there was "no evidence" that these deployments reduced violent crime. CAP further claimed the administration was attempting to take credit for pre-existing trends in order to justify increased policing.
In the letter, Brito stated that CAP "manufactured" its findings and accused the organization of distorting an empirical question into a "false, malicious and defamatory accusation" that the president lied to the public. The president previously addressed the report on Truth Social, describing it as a "scam." As of midday Friday, the report remained active on the CAP website.
For the public and policy researchers, a successful legal action or a forced retraction would change the availability of data-driven critiques regarding military and domestic policing policies. The concrete change for those at CAP would be felt in the form of immediate legal costs and potential financial liability starting after the Friday deadline. The reporting indicates that Trump's personal attorneys have previously used similar defamation suits against media and policy organizations, sometimes resulting in settlements, which sets a precedent for how the administration handles outside research it deems inaccurate.
The outcome of this dispute may influence how other research organizations and think tanks report on executive branch activities and military deployments. If the case proceeds, it will move into the court system to determine whether academic and empirical conclusions can meet the legal standard for defamation against a sitting president. The immediate next step is the expiration of the 5 p.m. EDT deadline on Friday, August 21, 2026, after which the president’s attorney stated he will pursue "any and all legal rights and remedies."