The two Democratic commissioners of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission have said that President Donald Trump fired them illegally on Tuesday.
The White House confirmed the firings but had no further comment.
In a statement posted on X, former commissioner Alvaro Bedoya described his dismissal from the Consumer Protection Agency as “corruption plain and simple”.
Rebecca Kelly Slaughter said that the President had illegally terminated her from her position as Federal Trade Commissioner. This violated a clear Supreme Court precedent and the plain language contained in a statute.
Trump has already incited lawsuits after firing independent agency members, including the National Labor Relations Board.
In 1935, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law that allowed FTC commissioners to only be fired for good reason. This could include neglecting their duties. The ruling protects several independent, multi-member bipartisan agencies from being directly controlled by the White House.
There were hints that there would be more action beyond the firings of the NLRB. On February 18, Trump issued an Executive Order giving the White House more control over independent agencies.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, along with Republican Commissioner Melissa Holyoak (the other Republican commissioner on the Commission), have stated that they support the legal position of the Trump administration, which holds that the White House can fire agency officials.