WaPo (“A career official tried to undo Trump’s purge at USAID. He was then purged, too.“):
The Trump administration’s purge of dozens of senior officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development encountered resistance on Thursday when the career employee who carried out the original directive rescinded it, calling the purge an “illegal” violation of “due process.”
The official was then promptly placed on administrative leave — according to emails obtained by The Washington Post — in the latest convulsion stemming from President Donald Trump’s 90-day freeze on foreign aid, which has ground to a halt humanitarian aid programs around the world and prompted U.S. contractors to furlough hundreds of employees and prepare to let go many thousands more.
“DOGE instructed me to violate the due process of our employees by issuing immediate termination notices to a group of employees without due process,” wrote Nicholas Gottlieb, the director of employee and labor relations at USAID, referring to the budget-slashing commission known as the “Department of Government Efficiency.” “I was notified moments ago that I will be placed on administrative leave, effective immediately. It has been an honor working with you all.”
[…]
More than 50 senior career USAID officials were put on administrative leave Monday, including deputy administrators and deputy assistant administrators.
The ousters, which came without warning, were followed by an explanation that the officials were trying to undermine the aid freeze, according to an agency-wide memo signed by Jason Gray, the newly installed acting administrator of USAID.
“We have identified several actions within USAID that appear to be designed to circumvent the President’s Executive orders and the mandate from the American people,” said Gray,who is also the chief information officer. “As a result, we have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice.”
On Thursday, Gottlieb sent an email to officials put on administrative leave saying that he had“reviewed the materials that served as the purported basis for your placement in this status” and “found no evidence that you engaged in misconduct.”
He informed colleagues at 2:04 p.m. that he decided to cancel their administrative leave status under his “authority.” Two hours later, Gottlieb sent a second email informing colleagues that he had been placed on administrative leave and bidding them farewell.
[…]
Trump officials have also warned aid groups and U.S. officials against speaking publicly about the aid freeze, which some officials have called a “gag order.”
In an email to the 10,000 USAID employees sent last Saturday, the leadership warned that “all communications outside the Agency, including the State Department, must be approved by the Agency Front Office.”
“Failure to abide by this directive, or any of the directives sent out earlier this week and in the coming weeks, will result in disciplinary action,” wrote Ken Jackson, the assistant to the administrator for management and resources.
WaPo (“Several senior FBI leaders told to leave agency or be fired, people familiar with matter say“):
Multiple senior FBI officials have been ordered to leave the bureau within days or be fired, according to three people familiar with the matter, a sign that President Donald Trump’s administration is purging leadership at an agency that has been a frequent target of his ire.
The ultimatums came as Trump’s nominee to lead the bureau, Kash Patel, vowed during his confirmation hearing Thursday that he would not take action against perceived enemies should he be confirmed as FBI director.
“All FBI employees will be protected against political retribution,” Patel told lawmakers.
While the Senate considers Patel’s nomination, the massive law enforcement bureau is being run by an acting director and an acting deputy director, both veteran agents appointed by the White House.
It is highly unusual for senior staffing changes to be made under such circumstances at the FBI, a law enforcement agency that is supposed to be insulated from politics.
The leaders who received the message about resigning or retiring by Monday included several executive assistant directors — managers who oversee criminal and national security investigations — as well as the top agents in some of the bureau’s field offices around the country, two people familiar with the situation said. They and the other person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters that have not been made public.
Some of the employees had been promoted under Christopher A. Wray, who resigned as FBI director this month in the face of repeated pledges from Trump that he would be fired. Some have not yet reached retirement age, meaning they could lose out on benefits to which they’d be entitled if they were not forced out.
[…]
The bureau’s leadership shake-up followed days of similar upheaval that has roiled the Justice Department. Interim leaders Trump installed there have moved swiftly to oust or reassign veteran career lawyers who they believe are insufficiently loyal to the president. They also fired prosecutors who worked on the Justice Department’s two special counsel investigations of Trump.
Both Trump and Patel have derided the Justice Department and the FBI for years, saying they believe it has been “weaponized” against conservatives and has put political concerns ahead of the pursuit of justice.
At his confirmation hearing, Patel pledged that, if confirmed, he would restore public trust in the bureau. He promised “a de-weaponized, de-politicized system of law enforcement completely devoted to rigorous obedience to the Constitution and a singular standard of justice.”
This is, of course, just the latest wave.
- AP, “Firings, freezes and layoffs: A look at Trump’s moves against federal employees and programs”
- WSJ, “Trump Fires Numerous Inspectors General in Friday Night Purge“
- NYT, “Fired Inspectors General Raise Alarms as Trump Administration Moves to Finalize Purge“
- TAP, “Probationary Federal Employees Targeted for Mass Purge“
- NYT, “Trump Fired E.E.O.C. Commissioners in Late-Night Purge“
- NYT, “Trump Firings at Labor Board Paralyze the Agency”
- Government Executive, “Democrats worry RFK Jr. could purge ‘thousands’ of federal health employees“
That is, I’m sure, an incomplete list.
This is beyond disturbing. It’s routine for incoming Presidents to replace political appointees in policymaking positions. They come into government knowing they serve at the pleasure of the President and fully expect to move on with a change in administration—especially a President of a different party.
Almost all of those being purged here, though, are either career employees entitled to civil service protections and all manner of due process rights or in fixed-term appointments to posts specifically created to be immune from partisan political pressure. These firings are almost certainly illegal. More importantly, they undermine the very fabric of our system of government and administration.
There are already scores of lawsuits underway. Rather clearly, Trump and his team are eagerly testing the legal limits of their power, hoping that a majority-Republican Supreme Court with three Trump-appointed Justices goes along.
