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Biden Continues To Fire Trump Appointees From Independent Agencies
Hotair.com ^ | 3-15-21 | Jazz Shaw

Posted on 03/15/2021 9:48:44 AM PDT by DeweyCA

A growing number of people who were approved for independent government positions must be feeling like they’re starring in a reboot of The Apprentice, with Joe Biden now playing Donald Trump’s old role. The common theme is that they all received the same message. You’re fired. Joining the list of the newly unemployed this month was Sharon Fast Gustafson, the former General Counsel for the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission. Gustafson wasn’t even two years into her four-year contract at the EEOC when she received a letter from the President requesting her resignation. She wrote back, saying that she intended to serve out her term as she had sworn to do when the Senate confirmed her in August of 2019 and Joe Biden responded by immediately firing her. This happened more than a week ago, but I only caught wind of it this weekend.

So what drew Biden’s attention to this particular EEOC official? According to NRB, it was Gustafson’s history of defending employees who were discriminated against based on their religious beliefs.

During her term, Gustafson has gained a reputation for defending religious liberty, leading the EEOC to file a lawsuit against Kroger in 2020 on behalf of two employees who refused to wear LGBT-themed aprons due to their Christian beliefs.

After receiving a request to resign as General Counsel of the EEOC on March 2, Gustafson sent a letter to President Biden on Friday stating her intent to continue filling the role of her office. She was fired from her position by 5 p.m. that evening.

“At the time I was nominated, I was asked if I would commit to do my best to fulfill my four-year term, and I answered yes,” said Gustafson in her letter. “Unless prevented from doing so, I intend to honor that commitment. I have confidently given this advice to countless embattled clients of the last 25 years: hold your head high, do your best work, and do not resign under pressure. In solidarity with them, I will follow that advice.”

So I guess this is what the new version of “unity” looks like, eh? The EEOC is supposed to be an independent agency, with officials who serve staggered terms to avoid the politicization of the organization, unlike White House staffers who are generally flushed out every time the opposing party takes office. No reason relating to any job performance issues was provided when Gustafson was asked to resign. She was simply cut loose with more than half of her term left to go.

Gustafson’s nomination wasn’t even a controversial one. On July 30, 2019, she was passed favorably from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Two days later she was approved by the Senate on a voice vote.The mission of the EEOC is to enforce federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee based on a number of criteria, including religion. But the LGBT community clearly became upset over Gustafson doing her job and someone must have put a bug in the ear of somebody on Biden’s staff, so she had to go.

That’s what potentially makes this one of the most ironic actions of Biden’s presidency to date. A person working for the federal agency that’s responsible for protecting employees from being fired over their religious beliefs winds up being fired because parts of Biden’s base disapprove of those religious freedoms.

This is increasingly becoming a troubling pattern in Biden’s presidency. Biden previously fired the General Counsel of the NLRB in the middle of his term in a similar fashion. That action has already been challenged in court and may result in the position remaining vacant for most of the year.

The Commissioner of the EEOC (a Republican) expressed her dismay at this partisan witchhunt.

“In his inaugural address, the President said, ‘The right to dissent peaceably, within the guardrails of our Republic, is perhaps our nation’s greatest strength,’” said Lucas. “That, however, does not seem to apply to Sharon Gustafson. And if such a principle does not apply to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission—the very agency charged with preventing and remedying discrimination and retaliation—where else does it apply?”

Joe Biden has had some very unity-themed speeches written for him this year and he’s delivered them to the thunderous applause of most of the mainstream media. Thank God we’re finally rid of Donald Trump and his “divisive” rhetoric, right? But thus far, Biden’s actions have fallen far short of his words.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: conscience; dh; eeoc; genderdysphoria; homosexualagenda; religion; religiousfreedom; sharonfastgustafson; unity
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To: JonPreston

With all the attacking the Dems did to Trump it should have been WAR


21 posted on 03/15/2021 10:50:04 AM PDT by butlerweave
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To: hillarys cankles

Easy prediction: Firing will not be enough. Democrats will smear every Trump appointee who attempts to stay in their position. It will be a replay of what Hillary did to the travel office employees.


22 posted on 03/15/2021 10:50:12 AM PDT by Mr. N. Wolfe
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To: DeweyCA

She had a 4 year contract? Hey just tell Biden to buy out the remainder then go ESAD.


23 posted on 03/15/2021 10:53:36 AM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: Starboard

times are changing I expect there to be a blood bath for Biden appointees next time a republican is in... there is no more playing nice becouse of shared intrests of neo-cons and neo-libs


24 posted on 03/15/2021 11:01:25 AM PDT by PCPOET7
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To: cotton1706

Yes, as was the media in both cases. It was a major scandal.


25 posted on 03/15/2021 11:10:18 AM PDT by Republican Wildcat
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To: DeweyCA; All
"Biden Continues To Fire Trump Appointees From Independent Agencies [??? emphasis added]"
FR: Never Accept the Premise of Your Opponent’s Argument

Patriots need to remind their constitutionally impaired state lawmakers that the Constitution doesn’t authorize “independent federal agencies” run by non-elected bureaucrats who wrongly dictate to states and their citizens what to do.

What’s going on with so-called independent federal agencies is this imo. The corrupt, post-17th Amendment ratification Congress learned long ago how to front-end “its" so-called legislative powers with non-elected bureaucrats.

But the trick with “Congress’s” legislative powers that federal agencies exercise is that most such powers are actually stolen state powers.

By letting independent federal regulatory agencies get away with stealing state powers to do Congress’s unpopular, unconstitutional work for Congress, federal lawmakers are able to keep their voting records clean so that they can fool low-information patriots into reelecting them.

In fact, probably most federal domestic spending is based on state revenues uniquely associated with state powers, such revenues stolen by means of unconstitutional federal taxes, taxes that Congress cannot justify under its constitutional Article I, Section 8-limited powers.


26 posted on 03/15/2021 11:16:49 AM PDT by Amendment10
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To: PCPOET7

You might have thought that after Clinton fired all the U.S. Attorneys on assuming office, but the Republicans didn’t learn then, either.


27 posted on 03/15/2021 11:18:06 AM PDT by Buchal ("Two wings of the same bird of prey . . .")
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To: Jim Noble

POTUS Trump did not come close to draining the swamp and actually put swamp around him. This was one reason he is not President right now.


28 posted on 03/15/2021 11:23:13 AM PDT by shanover (...To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.-S.Adams)
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To: JonPreston

“This is an area where DJT failed at thanks to the establishment p*icks he took advice from.”

100% Correct!


29 posted on 03/15/2021 11:26:02 AM PDT by Batman11 ( The USA is not an ATM!)
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To: DeweyCA
Gripe!...Complain!...Scream!...

That really gets the communists' attention... 🤣

However, the tyranny continues unabated...

The Communist Purge Is Growing Exponentially & Nothing Is Being Done About It!

30 posted on 03/15/2021 12:23:11 PM PDT by SuperLuminal (Where is Joe McCarthy now that we desperately need him sober?)
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To: PCPOET7

times are changing I expect there to be a blood bath for Biden appointees next time a republican is in...

*************

I doubt it. The GOP never changes. It is perma-weak.

In general conservatives are too nice, play by the rules, and are not inclined to be vengeful. They believe in morality, ethics and laws. The Dems are not constrained by such niceties. They play to win at all costs.

The strong win, the weak lose. That is the way of the world. There was a slither of hope for the GOP to become assertive winners if Trump had won a second term. His inspirational leadership was priceless. I hate to say it but that opportunity may have been lost and the GOP will revert back to mediocrity and weakness, a state in which they are most comfortable.


31 posted on 03/15/2021 2:00:40 PM PDT by Starboard
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To: DeweyCA
Unless prevented from doing so, I intend to honor that commitment.

Well I'd day Biden is preventing it. Elections have consequences.

32 posted on 03/15/2021 2:12:27 PM PDT by DoodleDawg
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To: DeweyCA

Biden Continues To Fire Trump Appointees From Independent Agencies.

That way Harris won’t take the heat for doing it they have to clean up her act and it isn’t going to be easy.


33 posted on 03/15/2021 5:11:42 PM PDT by Vaduz (women and children to be impacIQ of chimpsted the most.)
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