President Trump Targets Government Watchdogs, Civil Service Oversight in Wave of Firings
President Trump fired leading appointees in charge of overseeing government ethics, federal personnel appeals, whistleblower complaints, and other functions, drawing criticism from Democrats and good government groups.
Among those fired: David Huitema as Director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE). Huitema was confirmed in November to a five-year term as the nation’s top ethics officer and had only been on the job for weeks when he was sacked.
In an interview with CNN, Huitema said he was told of his removal over the weekend.
“My sense is that the president doesn’t want OGE or really anyone with an independent voice to address concerns that are raised,” said Huitema.
In a statement, OGE simply said it’s reverting to an acting director for now.
MSPB Firing
Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) Chair Cathy Harris was fired outright. Another Democratic appointed member of the MSPB, Ray Limon, was stripped of his status as vice chair but will remain on the board. Republican Henry Kerner, who previously served as the Senate-confirmed Special Counsel, was named as acting chair.
With two of three seats still occupied, the MSPB will still have a quorum to decide appeals. The agency had been whittling down its backlog after operating without a quorum for five years.
The decision to fire Harris prompted a stinging rebuke from the Government Accountability Project among others.
“The Merit Systems Protection Board is one of the few enforcement authorities with power to protect federal employees who risk their careers to serve the public,” said Government Accountability Project legal director Tom Devine. “The merit system exists to ensure government service is about taxpayers—not politics. Undermining its ability to function through unjust firings doesn’t prevent waste and fraud: it is waste, and it is fraud.”
OSC Legal Tussle
Office of Special Counsel (OSC) head Hampton Dellinger was also fired. Dellinger sued to stop the termination at OSC, which investigates whistleblower retaliation and other instances of wrongdoing in the federal government.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled in Special Counsel Dellinger’s favor, saying he can stay on the job at least through midnight Thursday, February 13.
Federal law says the special counsel can only be removed “for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office."
DOJ is appealing Judge Jackson’s ruling.
National Archivist Fired
Also fired over the weekend was Colleen Shogan, the National Archivist of the United States. Archivist Shogan assumed the position in 2023. The position is typically non-partisan and does not have a fixed term.