President fires Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger; litigation ensues

confirmed Importance 6/10 ~1 min read 3 sources 5 actors

President Trump fired Hampton Dellinger from his position as head of the Office of Special Counsel via email on Friday night, February 7, 2025, stating simply “your position…is terminated, effective immediately.” Dellinger immediately sued, arguing his removal violated statutory for-cause protections requiring “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance.” Judge Amy Berman Jackson initially ordered Dellinger reinstated while the case proceeded. The OSC investigates whistleblower retaliation and Hatch Act violations.

Sources & Citations

[1] Head of federal whistleblower agency sues Trump over firing · Feb 10, 2025 Tier 1

[2] Trump asks court to allow firing of watchdog agency official · Feb 18, 2025 Tier 1

[3] Judge rules that Trump's firing of whistleblower office chief was unlawful · Mar 1, 2025 Tier 1

Tiers Tier 1 court records & gov docs · Tier 2 established outlets · Tier 3 regional & specialty press · Tier 4 opinion or single-source. Methodology →

Cite this entry

The Cascade Ledger. “President fires Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger; litigation ensues.” The Capture Cascade Timeline, February 7, 2025. https://capturecascade.org/event/2025-02-07--osc-dellinger-fired/