President Trump fired the three selected democrats from an independent civil liberty agency on Monday, leaving it, leaving it He paralyzed when the administration of Mr. Trump begins to put his seal in the FBI community and intelligence.
Last week, the day after the inauguration of Mr. Trump, Mr. Morse sent emails to the agency, the Board for Supervision of Privacy and Civil Freedoms, ordering the three members, Sharon Bradford Franklin, Edward W. Felten and Travis Leblanc, to present his resignations. That deadline, saying that Mr. Trump would end them if they did not.
But the deadline came and left. Having received no more word, the three remained in their positions on Friday, when the Board launched a long -lasting study of terrorism surveillance lists, which keep people outside the planes or submit them to additional detection in The airports.
However, on Monday afternoon, a White House official, Trent Morse, sent emails to the three members of the Board, informing them of their layoffs. The New York Times reviewed one of the emails, and Mr. Leblanc confirmed that the three had been fired. Others spoke on anonymity to discuss sensitive matter.
Trump did not withdraw the only member selected by Republicans, Beth Williams, and a fifth seat was already vacant.
But the agency needs at least three members to take official measures such as starting a new research project or issuing a Board report with a policy recommendation, so the measure has paralyzed its ability to function.
The Congress established the agency as an independent unit in the Executive Branch after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 to investigate national security activities that can end up individual rights, such as the use of government surveillance that affects The Americans.
It has authorizations for security and citation power, and is established to have five members, designated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, which serves terms of six years and can remain in another after that if no successor has been confirmed. Some members are elected by the president, and others are selected by the leaders of the other Congress party.
In a statement, Mr. Leblanc thanked Mr. Trump for having appointed him in his first term, after the Democrats selected him, but said that shortening the terms that Congress had the intention that the Democratic members would serve under the independence of independence of the Board to carry out supervision work that is “absolutely essential for responsibility in a democracy.”
“I regret that the partisan change of the Board finally Socve not only the mission of the agency, but also public trust and confidence in government ability to honor privacy rights, respect civil liberties, honestly inform the public and continue The law “,”, “,” said Mr. Leblanc.
Of the three members selected by Democrat, the president of the Board, Mrs. Franklin, would start at the end of this week. But Mr. Felt had been ready to stay until the end of January 2026, and Mr. Leblanc until January 2029.
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