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.

The orders also may represent exceptional acts of retribution against lawyers who have crossed him in the past, they said.

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.