Trump Fires FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub Amidst Government Restructuring
President Trump has fired FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub, igniting controversy about his approach to reshaping the federal government and claims of voter fraud.
Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy has the latest on the White House's plans to reduce the number of federal workers on 'Special Report.'
President Donald Trump fired the U.S. Federal Election Commission Commissioner and Chair Ellen Weintraub, sending her a letter regarding her "removal."
Trump took office Jan. 20, and since then has taken on a massive government makeover, sidelining and firing hundreds of top agency officials and civil servants as he attempts to install more loyalists and downsize the bureaucracy.
Weintraub, like many others, was in Trump's crosshairs, but she did not appear to be standing down.
"Received a letter from POTUS today purporting to remove me as Commissioner & Chair of [the FEC]," Weintraub wrote Thursday 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."
Along with her post, Weintraub posted a copy of the letter from the White House.
"Dear Commissioner Weintraub," the letter states. "You are hereby removed as a Member of the Federal Election Commission, effective immediately. Thank you for your service on the Commission."
The letter was dated Jan. 31, 2025, and signed by Trump.
Weintraub took aim at President Trump in 2019, when she said his "baseless" claims about voter fraud were "damaging to our democracy."
She criticized the president during an appearance on CNN and claimed he was spreading information for which he had no proof.
"I think it is damaging to our democracy," Weintraub told host John Berman, "to spread information like that if there is no proof."
Weintraub insisted there was no evidence of rampant voter fraud in 2016, responding to Trump's repeated claims to the contrary.
Fox News Digital's Joshua Nelson contributed to this report.
