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Business Standard
18 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Elon Musk's legal battles expected to outlast his time in White House
As Elon Musk leaves his formal US government position, dozens of legal challenges over the billionaire's powerful role in the Trump administration and the work of the Department of Government Efficiency will press ahead. Musk announced his departure earlier this week. At a White House press conference with President Donald Trump Friday, Musk said he'd continue to be a 'friend and an adviser.' He didn't elaborate on what that would entail. At least three lawsuits are pending that accuse Trump of unconstitutionally handing the Tesla Inc. and SpaceX chief executive officer the equivalent of a cabinet-level post over the past four months. Despite his exit, the challengers behind those cases are vowing to continue those fights. 'The case is absolutely relevant,' said Anjana Samant, a senior lawyer in the New Mexico Department of Justice, which is leading a group of states in one of the challenges. The Democratic state attorneys want a judge to invalidate actions they contend Musk unlawfully took to upend federal government operations and to declare that the DOGE project has gone far beyond what US law allows. The larger collection of lawsuits challenging Musk and DOGE activities to date are certain to continue. They include fights over DOGE access to Americans' personal information, whether the office is subject to public records laws and its role in canceling federal grants and contracts, dismantling agencies and firing workers. White House spokesperson Harrison Fields declined to comment on the administration's next steps in court but said government lawyers 'will continue to fight every single frivolous lawsuit that is brought our way.' A Justice Department spokesperson and Musk did not respond to requests for comment. The Justice Department has represented Musk and DOGE in court and would be expected to continue defending against allegations related to government work. Musk recently had criticized Trump's tax cut proposal but he and Trump praised each other during Friday's press event in the Oval Office. He also slammed the wave of court rulings against the administration, saying that 'immense judicial overreach' is 'undermining the people's faith in the legal system.' Some legal experts say Musk's formal exit could give the Justice Department grounds to argue for dismissal. Jeff Powell, a constitutional law professor at Duke University School of Law, said claims over the legality of Musk's position under the Constitution's Appointments Clause would no longer be valid once he's left government service. Powell called the claims 'meritless' to the extent the challengers want to hold Musk or DOGE responsible for communicating Trump's 'will' to Senate-confirmed officials who carried out the actions. 'Musk was a minion,' Powell said. 'The lawsuits may have other things, they may challenge the substantive validity of the reduction of force or cancellation of contracts, but that had nothing to do with Musk.' Norm Eisen, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Action and a lead attorney in another case challenging Musk's appointment, cited the billionaire's comments that he would stay involved with the administration for the rest of Trump's term as a reason why it was 'very important' that he remain a party in court. 'Principal Officer' Courts can dismiss cases if circumstances change. When Trump lost the 2020 election and left office in January 2021, the Supreme Court dismissed long-running fights over whether Trump's business interests violated anti-corruption provisions of the Constitution. Musk joined the administration as a 'special government employee,' a temporary status set to expire this month. Legal challenges citing the Appointments Clause allege that Musk was functioning as a 'principal officer' similar to Senate-confirmed agency heads who only answer to the president. Each of the lawsuits include other claims and defendants. A Washington federal judge this week denied the government's request to dismiss the states' case over Musk's appointment. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan wrote that there might be a viable Appointments Clause claim against whomever Trump put in charge of the DOGE effort, given the allegations that the position had evolved to influence multiple agencies. Brent Ferguson of the Campaign Legal Center, which brought a third constitutional challenge to Musk's authority in the administration that's also before Chutkan, said they were 'full steam ahead.' He said they wouldn't take Musk and White House officials at their word that he's no longer part of DOGE's work and demand evidence that proves his status. 'Regardless of the title that he's given by the government or what they say his role is, the real question for the Appointments Clause is, what actual power does he have,' Ferguson said. Dozens more lawsuits have been filed that relate to DOGE's activities. Judges have handed down a mix of rulings, in some cases greenlighting DOGE-affiliated staff's access to agency records and allowing cuts to federal spending and the workforce. In other cases, they've restricted DOGE from seeing Americans' information, revived spending and put fired federal personnel back on the job. Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, a group involved in a number of lawsuits against the administration, said in a statement that they would continue to challenge the legality of what Musk accomplished. 'While he may have left Washington, the havoc he has created has not,' she said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump taps former right-wing podcast host Paul Ingrassia for key watchdog post
President Trump announced Thursday night that he was tapping Paul Ingrassia, a former far-right podcast host, to lead the Office of Special Counsel -- an independent watchdog agency empowered to investigate federal employees and oversee complaints from whistleblowers. The Trump administration has previously taken aim at the Office of Special Counsel, firing the head of the agency, Hampton Dellinger (a Biden appointee) in February. Dellinger expressed opposition to the Trump administration's firing of federal employees under DOGE-led cuts, noting that many had been fired or laid off without notice or justification. Dellinger challenged his firing in court and was briefly reinstated to the post until a federal appeals court allowed for his dismissal. Dellinger decided to drop the challenge. MORE: After clashes with AG's top aide, a White House liaison pushing 'loyalty' to Trump at DOJ is reassigned: Sources ABC News exclusively reported in February about how Ingrassia, in his role as White House liaison to the Department of Justice, was pushing to hire candidates at the DOJ who exhibited what he called "exceptional loyalty" to Trump. His efforts at DOJ sparked clashes with Attorney General Pam Bondi's top aide, Chad Mizelle, leading Ingrassia to complain directly to President Trump, sources told ABC News. Ingrassia was pushed out of DOJ and reassigned as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, where he was serving prior to Trump announcing his new role, according to a White House official familiar with the matter. In a post on X, Ingrassia wrote in response to his nomination: "It's the highest honor to have been nominated to lead the Office of Special Counsel under President Trump! As Special Counsel, my team and I will make every effort to restore competence and integrity to the Executive Branch — with priority on eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal workforce and revitalize the Rule of Law and Fairness in Hatch Act enforcement." For the Senate-confirmed five-year term, Ingrassia will likely face tough questions over his lengthy history of media appearances and posts on social media promoting Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election as well as his ties to far-right media figures. He was previously spotted at a 2024 rally hosted by white nationalist Nick Fuentes and has publicly praised figures like Andrew Tate -- who has faced criminal charges for alleged sexual assault (Tate denies all wrongdoing). MORE: In addition to Musk, multiple top DOGE officials leaving Trump administration: Sources Ingrassia, in a comment to NPR, maintained he did not intend to go to the Fuentes rally and instead was there for another event. "I had no knowledge of who organized the event, observed for 5-10 minutes, then left," he wrote to NPR. He added that the notion that he is an extremist is "lacking in all credibility." Before joining the Trump administration, Ingrassia led communications efforts for a nonprofit legal organization that promotes itself as "the answer to the useless and radically leftist American Civil Liberties Union," and he was a writer for the right-wing website Gateway Pundit. Trump has also been known to post some of Ingrassia's pro-Trump stories on social media. Trump taps former right-wing podcast host Paul Ingrassia for key watchdog post originally appeared on
a day ago
- Politics
Trump taps former right-wing podcast host Paul Ingrassia for key watchdog post
President Trump announced Thursday night that he was tapping Paul Ingrassia, a former far-right podcast host, to lead the Office of Special Counsel -- an independent watchdog agency empowered to investigate federal employees and oversee complaints from whistleblowers. The Trump administration has previously taken aim at the Office of Special Counsel, firing the head of the agency, Hampton Dellinger (a Biden appointee) in February. Dellinger expressed opposition to the Trump administration's firing of federal employees under DOGE-led cuts, noting that many had been fired or laid off without notice or justification. Dellinger challenged his firing in court and was briefly reinstated to the post until a federal appeals court allowed for his dismissal. Dellinger decided to drop the challenge. ABC News exclusively reported in February about how Ingrassia, in his role as White House liaison to the Department of Justice, was pushing to hire candidates at the DOJ who exhibited what he called "exceptional loyalty" to Trump. His efforts at DOJ sparked clashes with Attorney General Pam Bondi's top aide, Chad Mizelle, leading Ingrassia to complain directly to President Trump, sources told ABC News. Ingrassia was pushed out of DOJ and reassigned as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, where he was serving prior to Trump announcing his new role, according to a White House official familiar with the matter. In a post on X, Ingrassia wrote in response to his nomination: "It's the highest honor to have been nominated to lead the Office of Special Counsel under President Trump! As Special Counsel, my team and I will make every effort to restore competence and integrity to the Executive Branch — with priority on eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal workforce and revitalize the Rule of Law and Fairness in Hatch Act enforcement." For the Senate-confirmed five-year term, Ingrassia will likely face tough questions over his lengthy history of media appearances and posts on social media promoting Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election as well as his ties to far-right media figures. He was previously spotted at a 2024 rally hosted by white nationalist Nick Fuentes and has publicly praised figures like Andrew Tate -- who has faced criminal charges for alleged sexual assault (Tate denies all wrongdoing). Ingrassia, in a comment to NPR, maintained he did not intend to go to the Fuentes rally and instead was there for another event. "I had no knowledge of who organized the event, observed for 5-10 minutes, then left," he wrote to NPR. He added that the notion that he is an extremist is "lacking in all credibility." Before joining the Trump administration, Ingrassia led communications efforts for a nonprofit legal organization that promotes itself as "the answer to the useless and radically leftist American Civil Liberties Union," and he was a writer for the right-wing website Gateway Pundit.
Axios
2 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
ICE officials ousted amid demands for more immigrant arrests
Two top officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been ousted from leadership as the White House ramps up the pressure on the agency to arrest an unprecedented number of immigrants, five sources familiar with the situation tell Axios. Why it matters: The changes come a week after top Trump aide Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded that ICE seek to arrest 3,000 people a day — triple what agents were arresting in the early days of the administration. Driving the news: The ousted officials are Kenneth Genalo, ICE's enforcement and removal director, and Robert Hammer, the Department of Homeland Security's investigations director who has handled particularly complex cases involving criminal immigrants. Genalo is retiring but will still serve as a special government employee, sources said. Hammer is being reassigned to a different leadership position. In the week since Miller and Noem called on ICE officials to step up arrests, ICE has failed to reach 3,000 daily arrests. Agents did bring in 1,600 the day before the leadership changes — a substantial rise but not close to Miller and Noem's goal, people familiar with the agency's internal data said. Several sources told Axios the leadership changes reflect higher-ups' frustration with the arrest numbers at a time when the White House is focused on President Trump 's goal of deporting a million unauthorized immigrants. But one source said the arrest statistics weren't considered in decision making and that conclusions were being drawn from last week's meeting with Miller. Flashback: It's not the first shakeup at ICE, which has been under increasing pressure over the White House's deportation ambitions. Earlier this year Noem reassigned ICE's director and deputy director. They were replaced with ICE veteran Todd Lyons and Madison Sheehan, who was previously a political staffer of Noem's. Some insiders believe Lyons' job might also be at risk now. ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed director since Barack Obama was in the White House. What they're saying: "I think there's great leadership at ICE. Todd Lyons, I've known him for years. He was probably the best field director we had," Trump border czar Tom Homan told Axios on Thursday. "There are 25 field office directors across the country and they all respect Todd. Todd's the right guy to be the director," Homan added. Homan declined to comment on the leadership changes, saying he was unaware of the reasons behind the reassignments. Homan, an acting director of ICE during Trump's first term, said it helps agents across the country to have a director who has risen through the agency's ranks.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fired copyright chief loses first round in lawsuit over Trump powers
A judge denied a request for reinstatement Wednesday from the ousted head of the national copyright office, rejecting for now her claims that President Donald Trump had no right to fire her. Shira Perlmutter was fired as register of copyrights earlier this month, an office housed inside the Library of Congress. In a suit filed in Washington's federal court last week, she alleged that Trump and his subordinates overstepped in both naming a new Librarian of Congress — the only official, she claims, that can hire and fire a copyright chief. Perlmutter asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order keeping Trump's appointees out of the Library of Congress and keeping her on the job, but U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly denied the motion from the bench in a hearing Wednesday. Perlmutter's lawsuit names as lead plaintiff Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, whom Trump attempted to appoint as acting Librarian of Congress, alongside Trump and several other administration officials. Justice Department lawyers representing Blanche & Co. asserted in a court filing this week that the Library of Congress is 'part of the Executive Branch and is subject to presidential control.' 'The Library of Congress is not an autonomous organization free from political supervision,' the lawyers wrote. The White House argues that Trump has the authority to name an acting librarian and register of copyrights who can serve temporarily under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act — much as the president can name acting leaders for any other federal agency with a presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed chief. Key lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including some top Republicans, are questioning that assertion, and it has created a standoff at the Library of Congress over the attempted takeover. Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, said in a statement that the arguments in the recent administration court filing amount to 'unlawful and unconstitutional efforts to wrest control of the Library and the Copyright Office from Congress and the American people.' 'The law is clear,' Morelle said. 'The Library of Congress is a legislative branch agency, and the President has no authority to appoint an Acting Librarian or meddle in the Library's personnel decisions.' In addition to attempting to install Blanche as acting librarian, Trump also attempted to appoint Brian Nieves as acting assistant librarian and Paul Perkins as acting register of copyrights, replacing Perlmutter as director of the Copyright Office. But Robert Randolph Newlen, who assumed the acting librarian role immediately after Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden's removal, appears to remain in control of the library, and Blanche has not been seen at the library or sent communications to employees since the attempted takeover earlier this month. While Kelly did not immediately grant Perlmutter's request, her lawsuit will continue. Kelly indicated he will hear arguments in the coming weeks on whether to grant a preliminary injunction blocking Trump and Blanche while the litigation plays out. In the meantime, the leadership of the library and copyright office will remain in limbo. "If Mr. Blanche assumes the role of Acting Librarian of Congress, the Executive Branch will gain access to reams of confidential information that belongs to Congress and that Congress has zealously guarded from disclosure, as well as privately owned copyright deposits,' Perlmutter's lawyer wrote in a Tuesday filing. Republican chairs of the House and Senate panels with oversight responsibility of the library declined a request for comment. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the Senate Rules Committee, called once again for Congress to take bipartisan action to codify full congressional control of the library, condemning the 'unprecedented encroachment by the White House.'
