Barack Obama’s lawyers team up to prevent US President Donald Trump from breaking ethics rules

President Donald Trump (L) and former President Barack Obama talk on the East front steps of the US Capitol after inauguration ceremonies in Washington, DC, January 20, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

A number of top lawyers from the administration of former US President Barack Obama have joined forces to prevent Obama's successor Donald Trump from “declining into authoritarianism.”

Dubbed United to Protect Democracy, the organization has already put together a $1.5 million operating budget and hired five staffers, a number it plans to double over the coming months, Politico reported on Thursday.

“When people hear concerns about democracies declining into authoritarianism, they expect that moment to come in a singular thunderclap where everyone can see that this is the time,” said Ian Bassin, the organization's leader.

“In reality, often times, democracies decline over a period of years that happen through a series of much smaller steps. We need an organization that is specifically and holistically focused on that worst-case scenario,” he added.

The group has borrowed its name from a line in Obama’s farewell speech, where he urged his supporters to pick up where he was leaving off.

The organization’s legal status allows it to operate as both a non-profit and a limited political advocacy group.

The top lawyers, who helped the Obama administration set rules of conduct and stick to them, plan to address issues that are getting less public attention.

In their first move, the group has submitted 50 Freedom of Information Act requests this week to follow their suspicions about the Trump administration’s ethics violations.

The findings will be used to put congressional pressure on Trump through a media campaign and, if necessary, file lawsuits against him. They are also looking forward to provide a platform for whistleblowers to expose possible breaches of law by the new administration.

“As people who had the privilege of serving at the highest level of our government, we understand those guardrails, where people might come up against them and what the tools are that we have as private citizens to hold our government accountable,” Bassin said.

In reaction to the group’s formation, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said that Trump’s government “had raised the level of ethics training and oversight” compared to his predecessors.