LEILA FADEL, HOST:
A federal judge ruled this week that the Department of Government Efficiency's takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace back in March was illegal. The U.S. district judge, Beryl Howell, ordered that the nonprofit's president and board members be reinstated. In her 102-page opinion, she wrote that the president's efforts to take over the organization with acts of force and threat, quote, "represented a gross usurpation of power and a way of conducting government affairs that unnecessarily traumatized the committed leadership and employees of USIP." USIP is a nonprofit created by Congress to seek diplomatic solutions to global conflicts.
To discuss the ruling and what it means, I'm joined now by George Foote, a lawyer who represented the institute before the takeover. Good morning, George.
GEORGE FOOTE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So beyond my brief explanation there, what did the judge rule here, and what are the implications of that ruling?
FOOTE: It was a powerful ruling. It's a four-page order. The words null, void and no further effect are repeated throughout it. And what the judge did was say everything that the president and DOGE have done have been illegal, beginning with the March 14 attempted firing of the USIP board members and going through the reappointment of a - or the appointment of a new acting president. So the order has restored the previous management - the legitimate management and direction of the institute - back into office, and they're underway to make that happen right now.
FADEL: So does this ruling mean everything just goes back to the way it was?
FOOTE: No. That's impossible. It's been two months since the armed invasion of the building, and a lot of programs have been dismantled. A lot of our overseas programs are in complete disarray. A lot of the money has been taken, and the building is in a condition that - we don't even know what it is. So there will be a rebuilding process, but the staff is ready for it and is up to the task.
FADEL: So this damage that you just described - is it reversible?
FOOTE: Most of it. We won't know until we really get back in there and see what has happened. The foreign contractors, for example, who ran local mediation programs and education programs - they may well have disappeared. People have to, after all, earn a living and take care of themselves and their families. So we'll have to see what can be recomposed, and then there are future budget fights to undergo, as well. So there's a reconstruction project underway.
FADEL: What kind of work was USIP doing before the takeover?
FOOTE: USIP worked in D.C. with about 250 people here, had about a hundred staff and contractors in foreign offices, 25, 26 places around the world. In Washington, there was a lot of academic work because the institute was intended to be a bridge between the world of academia and diplomacy, so there's a lot of publication and writing. In the foreign offices, it's a lot more hands-on - direct help with mediation projects, assistance to build programs to prevent violence, prevent sexual violence and to assist in the mediation of conflicts. So it's a wide variety of work going on all over the world.
FADEL: And why does it matter so much?
FOOTE: It matters a lot. USIP has been instrumental in preventing conflict for 40 years. The 10th Mountain Division in Iraq asked them to come in and help pacify a valley in the Triangle of Death, which they did, and the leadership of that division credits USIP with saving soldiers' lives. It's helped find peaceful resolution of conflicts in Colombia. Where - when the government and the FARC guerrillas finally got together to discuss solving that conflict that had gone on for years, the only person they allowed in the room with them was a staff member from USIP. The books that they've written have taught how Americans negotiate, have taught how others have negotiated. They've written studies that have been useful to the National Security Council, to universities, to private organizations all over the world. USIP matters.
FADEL: And what would you say? I mean, the main criticism that DOGE used was basically accusing USIP of being a slush fund - right? - for private events and travel. What do you say to that?
FOOTE: That's absurd. There's no slush fund at USIP. They have an appropriation of $55 million a year, every penny of it audited by KPMG every year. Clean audits, year after year - never an issue at all. The monies that they have are accounted for down to the penny. There's no slush fund there.
FADEL: That's George Foote, a lawyer who represented the U.S. Institute of Peace before the takeover, which has now been ruled illegal. Thank you so much for your time.
FOOTE: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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