Former Trump administration officials filed a lawsuit Thursday against President Biden after he asked them to step down from the U.S. Naval Academy Board, arguing in court documents that the removal is motivated by politics.
The suit filed by former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and former director of Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought says Mr. Biden doesn’t have the legal authority to remove them from the board.
The two officials have asked a judge for a restraining order to block the administration from kicking them off the board.
“The statute governing the Board provides for staggered three-year terms,” the lawsuit says. “And it makes no provision or allowance for at-will presidential removal based on political affiliation or otherwise.”
Former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway was also asked to resign from the board, though she is not part of the lawsuit.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Times.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki this month defended the removal, saying the move was to add more qualified people who were also aligned with Mr. Biden’s agenda to the board.
“I will let others evaluate whether they think Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer were qualified,” she said.
“But the president’s qualification requirements are not your party registration; they are whether you’re qualified to serve and whether you’re aligned with the values of this administration,” she said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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