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The former head of an agency tasked with protecting government whistleblowers has filed a lawsuit challenging his abrupt dismissal by President Trump, arguing that his removal violates federal laws designed to shield independent watchdogs from political interference.
Some shit you should know before you read: Shortly after taking office, President Trump began removing numerous inspectors general and independent federal officials, citing the need to eliminate what he called political bias and bureaucratic obstruction within the government. Over the course of his first weeks in office, he fired at least 15 inspectors general across multiple federal agencies, despite a law requiring the President to provide 30 days’ notice and justification before removing these watchdogs. Among those dismissed was Hampton Dellinger, a close friend of Hunter Biden and the head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), responsible for protecting whistleblowers and enforcing federal ethics laws. Dellinger was terminated late on a Friday night via a brief email from the White House, with no formal justification provided beyond the statement that his position was “terminated, effective immediately.” The purge also included Federal Election Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, National Archives chief Colleen Shogan, and multiple members of the Kennedy Center’s board.
What’s going on now: In response to his termination, Dellinger filed a federal lawsuit on Monday, arguing that his dismissal was illegal and violated statutory protections for independent agency leaders. The lawsuit states that the OSC was created to function without political influence, and that the President may only remove the Special Counsel “for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” Dellinger argues that none of these conditions were met, making his termination “unlawful and without factual or legal basis.” The suit further claims that Trump’s actions have “sown confusion about his authority to lead the OSC and jeopardized the agency’s functioning.” His attorneys argue that removing him from office undermines the OSC’s ability to “protect the civil service and investigate alleged misconduct.”
The lawsuit also addresses the broader wave of dismissals under the Trump administration, noting that “an unprecedented number of federal employees with civil service protections have been terminated without cause.” Lawyers for Dellinger say that the administration is targeting independent oversight agencies to consolidate executive power and suppress whistleblower reports. The case has been assigned to US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee, setting up a potential legal showdown over the limits of presidential authority.
This all comes as the Trump administration argues that the President has broad constitutional authority to remove executive branch officials at will, including those leading independent agencies. His administration also says that statutory protections limiting a president’s ability to fire certain officials—such as requiring cause for removal—are unconstitutional restrictions on executive power.
