Federal Election Commissioner Claims President Trump “Illegally” Fired Her

Federal Elections Commissioner Ellen Weintraub just revealed that she has received a letter from President Trump telling her that she’s been removed from the role.

In a post on X, Weintraub is calling the move “illegal” and claiming that President Trump “does not have the authority” to eliminate her.

She implied that she will not be complying with the order, noting that she is happy to “stir up some good trouble” and “That’s not changing anytime soon.”

Hope that works out for you, Eileen…

Here’s what’s happening:

🚨🇺🇸 TRUMP REMOVES FEC COMMISSIONER ELLEN WEINTRAUB—SHE CALLS IT ILLEGAL

Ellen Weintraub, longtime FEC commissioner, says she was removed by Trump in a letter she shared online.

Weintraub: "The president does not have the authority to remove an FEC commissioner. This is not how… pic.twitter.com/Rt63YlMqmp

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 7, 2025

🇺🇸 #BREAKING: Federal Election Commissioner (FEC) Ellen Weintraub says she's received a letter from Trump seeking her removal.

"Received a letter from POTUS today purporting to remove me as Commissioner & Chair of FEC. There’s a legal way to replace FEC commissioners-this isn’t… pic.twitter.com/lz1E3oG5TU

— Diligent Denizen 🇺🇸 (@DiligentDenizen) February 7, 2025

Here’s Ellen’s post, complete with the letter she says she received from President Trump:

Received a letter from POTUS today purporting to remove me as Commissioner & Chair of @FEC. There’s a legal way to replace FEC commissioners-this isn’t it. I’ve been lucky to serve the American people & stir up some good trouble along the way. That’s not changing anytime soon. pic.twitter.com/7voecN2vpj

— Ellen L. Weintraub (@ellenlweintraub.bsky.social) (@EllenLWeintraub) February 6, 2025

From Reuters:

U.S. Federal Election Commission Commissioner and Chair Ellen Weintraub said on Thursday she received a letter from President Donald Trump removing her from office.

Since taking office on January 20, Trump has embarked on a massive government makeover, firing and sidelining hundreds of civil servants and top officials at agencies in his first steps toward downsizing the bureaucracy and installing more loyalists.

“There’s a legal way to replace FEC commissioners-this isn’t it,” she said in a post on X, which had the letter attached.

Axios noted:

Federal Election Commission Commissioner Ellen Weintraub said Thursday evening President Trump has moved to fire her, but she indicated she won’t be removed from office without a fight.

Weintraub shared on X a copy of a letter she said was from “POTUS today purporting to remove” her from her role at the FEC.

Ellen Weintraub, a Democrat, was originally appointed by George W. Bush.

As of this evening, Ellen Weintraub’s bio page is still up on the FEC website.

Her bio says:

Ellen L. Weintraub (@EllenLWeintraub) has served as a commissioner on the U.S. Federal Election Commission since 2002, having been unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. She has been elected to chair the Commission for 2025.

During her tenure, Weintraub has served as a consistent voice for meaningful campaign-finance law enforcement and robust disclosure. She believes that strong and fair regulation of money in politics is important to prevent corruption and maintain the faith of the American people in their democracy.