Christopher Hanson, who had been serving as a commissioner at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said in a post on LinkedIn today that he was fired by Trump last week.
“Late on Friday, President Trump terminated my position with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission without cause, contrary to existing law and longstanding precedent regarding removal of independent agency appointees,” Hanson wrote.
Appointed by then-President Joe Biden, Hanson said in his post that over the last five years he was focused on preparing “the agency for anticipated change in the energy sector, while preserving the independence, integrity, and bipartisan nature of the world’s gold standard nuclear safety institution.”
Asked for comment today, White House press aide Anna Kelly said, “All organizations are more effective when leaders are rowing in the same direction. President Trump reserves the right to remove employees within his own Executive Branch who exert his executive authority.”
The NRC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Supreme Court granted a request from the Trump administration last month that allowed the president to fire members of two independent federal agencies.
