An appeals court in Washington on Wednesday removed the head of a federal watchdog agency in the latest twist in a legal fight over Republican President Donald Trump's authority to fire the special counsel.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia sided with the Trump administration in allowing the immediate removal of Hampton Dellinger as head of the Office of Special Counsel while the court battle continues. Dellinger is likely to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Dellinger sued Trump last month after he was fired even though the law says special counsels can be removed by the president "only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office." U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, quickly reinstated Dellinger in the job while he pursued his case.
Dellinger's lawyers say allowing the president to fire the special counsel without cause would have a chilling effect on the important duties of the office to protect whistleblowers. The ruling comes as Dellinger is also challenging the removal of probationary workers who were fired as part of the Trump administration's shakeup of the federal government.
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