Legal experts called into question yet another brazen firing from President Donald Trump, who moved to oust two Democratic Equal Employment Opportunity Commission members.
Trump fired Commissioners Jocelyn Samuels and Charlotte Burrows on the five-member civil rights panel. The seats are now open to be filled by nominations from the Trump administration.
The move comes as the president moved to clean house at the National Labor Relations Board, the agency responsible for investigating and adjudicating claims of violations of labor union law in the workplace.
Both Samuels and Burrows confirmed their firings in statements Tuesday.
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“I am proud of the work my colleagues and I have done to help remove barriers for equal opportunity for all workers and to promote fair and nondiscriminatory workplaces," Burrows said in her statement. "While I strongly disagree with the President’s actions, and will explore all legal options available to me, I will continue to do all I can to fight for the rights of American workers and to support the efforts of others who do the same."
She called her firing "unprecedented" — and said it "violates the law."
Samuels, meanwhile, said: “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as an EEOC Commissioner, and I deeply regret this Administration’s short-sighted and unprecedented decision to remove me from a position to which I remain committed. I am considering my legal options and will continue to advocate strenuously for the civil rights of all workers."
Attorneys for Burrows, former chair of the commission, noted Trump fired her a full 3 1/2 years before her term was to expire. They called it "just the latest political attack we have seen from President Donald Trump in his coordinated effort to strip-mine the federal government."
The attorneys said it will "significantly weaken" the commission's functioning" — and "weaken the "civil rights protections afforded American workers in workplaces across the country."
Legal experts on social media blasted the firings.
"Trump is breaking the law to fire those officials charged with enforcing fair employment laws on behalf of the American people. That’s insane," wrote civil rights lawyer Leslie Proll on X.
"Dozens of unlawful firings so far in the last week, all in clear violation of federal law," wrote Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, on X.
"Am i missing something or is it really weird that everyone is just accepting that an email from the white house means an EEOC commissioner or an NLRB member is 'fired'? They have statutory protection!" exclaimed labor attorney Jesse Tripathi on X.
Alex Bradley, who does communications for the commissioners' attorneys, called the firings an "attack on the EEOC and the idea that people should have civil rights in their workplace."
"With everything else happening today, this is another unbelievable move," he wrote on X.
