The Trump Accountability Project (TAP) is an informal effort by Democratic-aligned political operatives which is compiling a list of individuals considered to be responsible for the alleged wrongdoings perpetrated by the administration of President Donald Trump, possibly seeking to blackball them from future employment. The project is being organized by numerous Democratic operatives, including Michael Simon, Hari Sevugan, and Emily Abrams. Other organizers are unknown and not revealed on the project’s website or elsewhere. ¹

As of early November 2020, TAP was seeking software engineers to assist in archiving Tweets made by President Trump and associates of his administration. ²

The List

The Trump Accountability Project tracks individuals who were employed or supported President Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns or administration. Specifically, the list tracks individuals who:³

• Worked for the Trump presidential campaign in 2016 or 2020
• Worked as a political appointee in the Trump administration
• Were appointed by Trump to any boards, commissions, or judiciary positions
• Donated money to Trump’s presidential campaigns or associated PACs
• Endorsed Trump for president in 2016 or 2020
• Worked for a law firm hired by Trump’s campaigns or administration
• Supported Trump privately while criticizing him publicly

When made public on November 6, the list contained 1,202 names. Each name was cataloged alongside the dates when the individual was associated with President Trump, a source for his or her association, and a “verdict” of “guilt” for the 2016 and/or 2020 presidential elections. Some parts of the list had a column for the year in which the former Trump associate “denounced” the president. ⁴

Purpose

TAP has yet to state any clear purpose or use for its list. The TAP website states that “the world should never forget” individuals who supported or were supported by the Trump administration, but there is no specific call for legal, moral, or social consequences. ⁵

Notable Names

TAP’s list includes virtually all individuals who worked for the Trump administration, were appointed to positions by President Trump, or were considered among his high-profile supporters. They include Vice President Mike Pence; Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch; former chief strategist Steve Bannon; former counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway; Trump 2020 campaign manager Bill Stepien; senior adviser Jared Kushner; senior advisor Stephen Miller; Ivanka Trump; advisor Hope Hicks; and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. ⁶

The list also includes individuals who were formerly associated with President Trump but have since publicly denounced him, such as former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, Attorney General Bill Barr, and former chief of staff Reince Priebus. ⁷

As of November 8, 2020, two Trump donors were listed: Las Vegas Sands casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and real estate investor Stephen Ross. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) was singled out as the only entry on the “endorsers” list at that time. ⁸

Debut and Removal

The Trump Accountability Project was launched on November 3, 2020. ⁹

On November 6, left-wing U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) Tweeted:¹⁰

Is anyone archiving these Trump sycophants for when they try to downplay or deny their complicity in the future? I foresee decent probability of many deleted Tweets, writings, photos in the future.

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s Tweet was criticized by journalist Megyn Kelly, activist Andrew Pollack, and others for resembling revenge schemes conducted by Communist regimes that compiled lists of political enemies. ¹¹

Michael Simon, a former campaign staffer for President Barack Obama, replied to Ocasio-Cortez by identifying himself as a member of TAP, linking to its website, and announcing that they were compiling a list of “every administration staffer, campaign staffer, bundler, lawyer who represented” President Trump. ¹²

Shortly after Simon’s response, two Democratic operatives Tweeted TAP’s list and their involvement in the project: former senior spokesman for the Obama presidential campaign and former national press secretary for the Democratic National Committee Hari Sevugan, and Pete Buttigieg campaign staffer Emily Abrams. ¹³

Later in the day, Simon, Sevugan, Abrams, and TAP’s official Twitter account all deleted their Tweets containing TAP’s list. The TAP website also removed the list. ¹⁴ However, the entire list was screenshotted and preserved by Republican activist lawyer Leslie McAdoo Gordon. ¹⁵

1. “Trump Accountability Project.” Trump Accountability Project. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://www.trumpaccountability.net/.
2. “Trump Accountability Project.” Twitter. November 6, 2020. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://twitter.com/trumpaccproject.
3. “Leslie McAdoo Gordon.” Twitter. November 6, 2020. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://twitter.com/McAdooGordon/status/1324886628859588611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1324886805221699587%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthefederalist.com%2F2020%2F11%2F07%2Fdemocrats-compile-list-of-names-targeting-white-house-staff-trump-campaign-judges-and-donors%2F.
4. “Leslie McAdoo Gordon.” Twitter. November 6, 2020. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://twitter.com/McAdooGordon/status/1324886628859588611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1324886805221699587%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthefederalist.com%2F2020%2F11%2F07%2Fdemocrats-compile-list-of-names-targeting-white-house-staff-trump-campaign-judges-and-donors%2F.
5. “We must never forget those who furthered the Trump agenda..” Trump Accountability Project. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://www.trumpaccountability.net/.
6. “Leslie McAdoo Gordon.” Twitter. November 6, 2020. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://twitter.com/McAdooGordon/status/1324886628859588611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1324886805221699587%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthefederalist.com%2F2020%2F11%2F07%2Fdemocrats-compile-list-of-names-targeting-white-house-staff-trump-campaign-judges-and-donors%2F.
7. “Leslie McAdoo Gordon.” Twitter. November 6, 2020. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://twitter.com/McAdooGordon/status/1324886628859588611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1324886805221699587%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthefederalist.com%2F2020%2F11%2F07%2Fdemocrats-compile-list-of-names-targeting-white-house-staff-trump-campaign-judges-and-donors%2F.
8. “Leslie McAdoo Gordon.” Twitter. November 6, 2020. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://twitter.com/McAdooGordon/status/1324886628859588611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1324886805221699587%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthefederalist.com%2F2020%2F11%2F07%2Fdemocrats-compile-list-of-names-targeting-white-house-staff-trump-campaign-judges-and-donors%2F.
9. “’Trump Accountability Project’ compiling list of Trump supporters for future repercussions.” Israel National News. November 8, 2020. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/290749.
10. “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.” Twitter. November 6, 2020. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1324807776510595078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1324825062915084288%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthefederalist.com%2F2020%2F11%2F07%2Fdemocrats-compile-list-of-names-targeting-white-house-staff-trump-campaign-judges-and-donors%2F.
11. Davidson, Jordan. “Democrats Compile List of Names Targeting White House Staff, Trump Campaign, Judges, and Donors.” Federalist. November 7, 2020. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://thefederalist.com/2020/11/07/democrats-compile-list-of-names-targeting-white-house-staff-trump-campaign-judges-and-donors/.
12. Davidson, Jordan. “Democrats Compile List of Names Targeting White House Staff, Trump Campaign, Judges, and Donors.” Federalist. November 7, 2020. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://thefederalist.com/2020/11/07/democrats-compile-list-of-names-targeting-white-house-staff-trump-campaign-judges-and-donors/.
13. Davidson, Jordan. “Democrats Compile List of Names Targeting White House Staff, Trump Campaign, Judges, and Donors.” Federalist. November 7, 2020. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://thefederalist.com/2020/11/07/democrats-compile-list-of-names-targeting-white-house-staff-trump-campaign-judges-and-donors/.
14. Davidson, Jordan. “Democrats Compile List of Names Targeting White House Staff, Trump Campaign, Judges, and Donors.” Federalist. November 7, 2020. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://thefederalist.com/2020/11/07/democrats-compile-list-of-names-targeting-white-house-staff-trump-campaign-judges-and-donors/.
15. “Leslie McAdoo Gordon.” Twitter. November 6, 2020. Accessed November 8, 2020. https://twitter.com/McAdooGordon/status/1324886628859588611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1324886805221699587%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthefederalist.com%2F2020%2F11%2F07%2Fdemocrats-compile-list-of-names-targeting-white-house-staff-trump-campaign-judges-and-donors%2F.