A member of an administrative advisory board appointed by former President Donald Trump during the Republican’s last days in office is suing President Joe Biden after he was allegedly asked to resign, Politico reports.
Roger Severino, a member of the council of the Administrative Conference of the United States, has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington accusing the White House Presidential Personnel Office of asking him to resign, with the implication that he would be fired if he refused. He also claims that the office presented similar ultimatums to three other members of the council.
Severino claims in his suit that the president lacks the authority to demand his resignation or order his firing, and says that he was not given a reason for his termination.
“The Council does not wield any executive power — indeed, it does not wield any power at all as a purely advisory entity — so President Biden has no constitutional power to terminate Mr. Severino or any other member of the Council,” the lawsuit reads.
The White House did not respond to Politico’s request for comment.
Politico notes that the Biden administration is currently in the midst of a widespread effort to remove Trump appointees, with several defense advisory board members dismissed or currently under review.