Appeals Court Lets Trump Remove Federal Watchdog

President Donald Trump’s removal of Hampton Dellinger had been blocked by a lower court.

Special Counsel of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger poses for a portrait in an undated handout image. U.S. Office of Special Counsel/Handout via Reuters

President Donald Trump can remove the head of a federal agency that investigates complaints lodged by federal employees, an appeals court ruled on March 5.

A U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit panel vacated an order from a federal judge that had prevented Trump from firing Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC).