The Blubber

Federal Election Commission (FEC) Chair Ellen Weintraub said Thursday that President Donald Trump attempted to remove her from the commission, but she indicated she won’t comply, calling the move legally invalid.

Weintraub shared a letter on X with Trump's signature, dated January 31, which stated, "You are hereby removed as a member of the Federal Election Commission, effective immediately. Thank you for your service on the Commission." In her post, Weintraub said she received the letter on Thursday.

“There’s a legal way to replace FEC commissioners—this isn’t it. I’ve been lucky to serve the American people and stir up some good trouble along the way. That’s not changing anytime soon,” wrote Weintraub, who has been with the commission since 2002 and was recently elected to serve as chair for 2025.

The FEC consists of six commissioners, with at least four required for a quorum. Commissioners are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. They serve six-year terms, but they can remain in their roles in “holdover” status until a successor is confirmed. Weintraub’s term technically expired in 2007, but she has stayed on in holdover status ever since.

Weintraub has also been a key strategist behind a maneuver by Democratic commissioners to create more deadlocks within the FEC, forcing federal courts to step in and enforce campaign finance laws, according to The New York Times.

“In the entire history of the bipartisan FEC, no president has ever removed a commissioner from the opposing party without nominating a successor recommended by that party’s congressional leaders,” wrote Daniel Weiner, director of the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center. “This is an extraordinary break from that history, and there are strong arguments that it violates long-standing federal laws governing independent agencies.”

Trevor Potter, a Republican former FEC chair and current president of the Campaign Legal Center, said Thursday that Congress deliberately did not grant the president authority to remove FEC commissioners, reinforcing Weintraub’s position.