FEC Chairwoman Defies Trump’s Removal Attempt

Federal Election Commission (FEC) Chairwoman Ellen Weintraub is standing her ground after receiving a letter from President Donald Trump notifying her of her dismissal.

Weintraub took to social media to publicize the letter and stated that she will not step down, arguing the notice is not legally binding.

“Received a letter from POTUS today purporting to remove me as Commissioner & Chair of @FEC,” Weintraub wrote in a post on X. “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.”

In her post, Weintraub shared an image of the letter, which reads: “You are hereby removed as a Member of the Federal Election Commission, effective immediately.” The White House letter, dated January 31, concludes with, “Thank you for your service on the Commission.”

Weintraub, a Democrat, is one of three members from her party on the commission, along with two Republicans and one vacant seat.

Trump's decision to remove multiple inspectors general in his first week in office has been met with criticism, with some arguing it may not be lawful. This prompted Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to request clarification on his actions and why Congress was not notified.

Since the start of the Trump administration, a key objective has been the restructuring of federal agencies. These moves have been strongly opposed by Democrats. Following Weintraub’s post, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) responded on X, stating:

“Trump’s political purge continues with this illegal dismissal of Democrat Ellen Weintraub from the FEC.”

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has been leading efforts to reduce federal spending, with expectations of major job cuts in the coming months.

The controversy escalated further when two Democratic lawmakers—Reps. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.)—unexpectedly entered House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, confronting him over Elon Musk’s team gaining access to a Treasury Department payment system.

Their unannounced arrival occurred shortly after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Johnson to discuss Trump’s tax policy plans, amid increasing Democratic resistance to Musk’s growing influence over government operations.

However, Moore claimed that she and Chu did not encounter Bessent during their confrontation with Johnson, Politico reported.

“Gwen Moore forced her way in there, and then I got to go in right behind her,” Chu told reporters. “And she was already confronting Speaker Johnson about Treasury Secretary Bessent and the stealing of Americans’ private information, tax information that should never be stolen and given to this billionaire Elon Musk.”

Over the weekend, Bessent granted members of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency limited access to the payment system during a meeting with House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.). The system manages trillions of dollars in tax refunds, Social Security payments, and other essential government transactions.

The Treasury Department later assured lawmakers that Musk’s team has only “read-only” access and that their review is “not resulting” in any interruptions or delays to federal payments.

A witness present during the confrontation at Johnson’s office condemned the behavior of Chu and Moore.

“In the face of incredibly rude, extremely aggressive and frankly unhinged behavior, the Speaker was more than gracious and allowed the members into his personal office to hear their concerns,” said an anonymous source familiar with the incident.

A representative for Chu disputed that account.

“She never barged, or shoved her way, into anything. She politely joined the meeting already occurring and the Speaker invited her in for a brief, civil discussion. The Secretary was not present, and she left immediately afterwards,” said Graeme Crews, Chu’s communications director, in a statement.