This article first appeared on Mother Jones. It has been republished with the publication’s permission.

My colleague David Corn recently wrote about Project 2025, a public plan crafted by the Heritage Foundation with help from prominent Trump world officials that, if implemented, would essentially destroy the country’s system of checks and balances and bestow unprecedented power on the presidency. As its name openly lays out, this draconian collection of public policy plans, specifically looks to 2025 to make this conservative fever dream a reality.

As Robert Shea, former senior budget official for George W. Bush, told The Atlantic: “I can’t overstate my level of concern about the damage this would do to the institution of the federal government. You would have things formerly considered illegal or unconstitutional popping up all across the government like whack-a-mole.”

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But Donald Trump on Saturday claimed to “know nothing about” Project 2025, insisting that he has “no idea” who is behind it. “I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal,” he said on Truth Social.

This, of course, is not true; former Trump officials and close allies are directly involved in Project 2025’s operation. And as the project’s website touts, “the Trump administration relied heavily on Heritage’s ‘Mandate’ for policy guidance.