WASHINGTON — The recently fired head of the Office of Special Counsel, a federal agency dedicated to protecting whistleblowers, sued President Donald Trump on Monday, saying he was illegally ousted as part of the president’s massive overhaul of the government.
Hampton Dellinger was informed of his firing in an email Friday evening from the White House personnel director, who said he was writing on behalf of the president. Dellinger’s termination comes as Trump’s Republican administration is testing the limits of well-established civil service protections by moving to dismantle federal agencies and push out staffers
Dellinger notes in his lawsuit, filed in Washington federal court, that special counsels can be removed by the president “only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” Dellinger was confirmed last year by the Senate for a five-year term to lead the watchdog agency.
“The effort to remove me has no factual nor legal basis - none - which means it is illegal,” Dellinger said in an email. He’s seeking a court order finding that his termination was illegal and reinstating him as the special counsel.
The Office of Special Counsel is responsible for protecting the federal workforce from illegal personnel actions, such as retaliation for whistleblowing. It investigates whistleblower claims of reprisal, can pursue disciplinary action against employees who punish whistleblowers and provides a channel for employees to disclose government wrongdoing.
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