D.C. Appeals Court Allows Trump’s Firing of Head of Watchdog Agency
The D.C. Court of Appeals Wednesday granted the Trump administration’s request to lift a lower-court ruling requiring it to reinstate the head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), a key federal whistleblower agency.
In granting the stay, the appeals court is, for now, allowing President Donald Trump to fire OSC Hampton Dellinger, who in recent weeks has tried to reverse some of the administration’s mass firings across the federal government.
The Trump administration fired Dellinger last month through a one-sentence email that stated no reason for his dismissal. “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Special Counsel of the US Office of Special Counsel is terminated, effective immediately,” the email read.
However, the 1978 law that created Dellinger’s position prevents the president from removing the special counsel for reasons other than inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance.
Washington D.C. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, whose order was stayed by the appeals court, found that Trump had exceeded his authority and illegally fired Dellinger.
In its two-paged ruling, the appeals court did not offer an explanation for granting Trump’s request.