President Trump on Wednesday fired Richard Primus, a Democrat member of the Surface Transportation Board, but Primus is refusing to step down and is threatening legal action.
According to The Hill, Primus was removed because he did not align with Trump’s America First agenda. “The Administration intends to nominate new, more qualified members to the Surface Transportation Board in short order,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai told The Hill.
After his dismissal, Richard Primus posted a lengthy statement on LinkedIn, declaring he would pursue a lawsuit if forced out of his position.
“Earlier this evening, I received an email from the White House purporting to terminate my position at the Surface Transportation Board. This is deeply troubling and legally invalid. Ironically, this comes at a time when the Board is considering significant pressing matters of critical importance to both our national freight rail network and supply chain that would directly affect large swaths of our manufacturing, agricultural, industrial and energy sectors,” Primus wrote.
“As someone who was nominated by President Trump during his first term and unanimously confirmed by a Republican-led Senate, then renominated by President Biden and unanimously confirmed by a Democrat-led Senate, I have worked tirelessly to build bipartisan trust and have demonstrated myself to be truly an independent Board member that has consistently rendered fair and impartial decisions. My record during my four and a half years at the Board reflects this and I strongly believe the actions of the White House would weaken the Board and adversely affect the freight rail network in a way that may ultimately hurt consumers and the economy,” he continued.
“With all of this in mind, I plan to continue to discharge my duties as a member of the Board and, if I’m prevented from doing so, I will explore my legal options,” Primus added.
