I'm sure Fauci is on the Senior Executive Schedule. They don't serve at the pleasure of the president but don't have all the rights of the General Schedule employees (GS 15 and below). When I was in government I never made it that far, nor did I aspire to so I never really looked into the differences.

The problem is, even if he loses, Trump will remain in office until the new year. This will give him roughly 2 months where he can fire individuals (including Fauci). Even if Biden hires him back, that's still several months where he is out of work (and could possibly find alternate employment.)

Well it’s not like they’re following his advice anyway.

I’m sure Biden could give him a call and ask him to stand back and stand by

Defense Secretary Esper fired, by Twitter. The PDJT now has an Acting Secretary of Defense -- two months before he is out of office. I guess that answers my question in another thread if he could still appoint Acting admins.

Well, I'm sure he was so pissed off he felt like he had to fire someone.

As we are approaching the final days of the Trump administration, an opportunity presents itself for prognostication.

Who do you think will be the last person fired by Trump before they all leave office? Bonus points for calling date.

Overcome with holiday spirit, Festivus begins early.

I would not be the least bit surprised if he fired everyone. Date: 19-Jan.

Please, oh Lord of Providential Coincidence, let it be Jared.

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He'll be sitting on his throne in the Oval Office, with no one else in the entire building, shouting to the walls -- "I'm the King of the World!!!"

Has he ordered the execution of Fegelein yet?

(Movie "Downfall" reference, but not part of the usually parodied rant sequence.)

I am betting Fauci is next.
I also bet within ten minutes of Fauci being fired, he gets a phone call from Biden, basically offereing him choice of Health related jobs in a Biden Adminstration.

There seem to be indications that Esper was going to resign today. Trump couldn't tolerate that so preemptively fired him.

Rather than guess who will be the last fired, perhaps we should have a poll as to how many. I'm guessing about 100. After all, the only rational reason for the E.O. about senior civil servants is to allow him to fire them.

The Tweet is mightier than the pen.

Looks like Gina Haspel, the CIA Director, may be next. FBI Director Wray is also rumored to be on the chopping block. The Reign of Terror may have nothing on Trump's Lame Duck period.

Looks like Tweetie Bird has struck again.

Aside from heads remaining attached, of course.

What a guy. I wonder if this is the pension thing. I don't remember who it was, maybe Comey? Rosenberg? someone, that he fired deliberately a couple of days before he would have qualified to receive a pension benefit of some sort. Trump fired him just so he could take that away.

What a putz.

Mere details, my boy, mere details.

I expect that phone call, and ones to any others worth retaining, happened late last week.

I believe it was Andrew McCabe

Not saying that America's enemies should attack between now and Jan 20, but they probably won't get a better opportunity.

Wrong!


Thirty seconds.

Trump has to have HHS fire Fauci for cause and he has options for redress. The president can't simply order him to be fired.

Overnight:
DOJ's top voter fraud official resigns in protest of Barr's order.
Pentagon's top policy official resigns as well.

... and both send their CV to Biden on the very same day I imagine.

Just for clarity's sake, here we call that a "resumé".

The DOJ person at least isn't leaving the DOJ, just that position.

This one does cause me some concern. Is Trump going to try a military coup if his claims of fraud fail to keep him in power? I suspect he's too much of a coward to go that far, as that is something likely to end with him dead or in prison if it fails, but it doesn't seem to be beyond the realm of possibility.

Trump can either tell the head of HHS to fire him, or fire the head of HHS and appoint someone (even in an acting capacity) who will do it for him.

Can we have a new Saturday Night Massacre? Keep firing people you can fire until one of them fires the guy you want to fire in the first place?

And then nominate that last guy to the Supreme Court?


I remember the original Saturday Night Massacre, but I was too young to understand it, really. Maybe Trump can do a few of those over the next few months.

I keep holding out hope that he will do something so outrageously over the top and illegal that there will have to be an emergency impeachment to get rid of him before January 20, or a 25th amendment action. I know it's not likely, but it would be fun.

The problem with that is that it would draw attention to republicans for enabling Trump for the past 4 years, and they would probably want to avoid that sort of publicity.

"Even though we voted against Trump's impeachment, voted for his various nominations, and didn't really challenge him when he engaged in racist actions, we now think Trump is a threat to the country".
"Why didn't you try to stop him before?"
"Because... Obama wore a tan suit! Buttery maies! Bengazi!"

There might even be other problems with that scenario.......but that doesn't mean I can't dream.


It occurs to me that about this time four years ago I predicted that Trump would be the first president impeached and convicted. i didn't think he could stay within the law for four years. I only have about 70 days left to be right.




(And....some would say he didn't stay within the law for four years, but that's for a different thread.)

Well, so far Trump hasn't used a guillotine. I wouldn't put it past him, though.

Reversing the trend, Rick Bright will join the Biden COVID-19 advisory board after Trump's White House retaliated against him for a whistleblower complaint.

That's ridiculous.

How would he manage to pull the lever that drops the blade with such small hands?

He has people to do that for him. You don't really think a person of Trump's status would pull the lever himself, do you?

He'd claim he did it himself, though.

Or claim that wanted to, but couldn't because of bone spurs in his arms.

Then afterword he would call the person who did pull the lever a "loser".

Two senior DHS officials have been forced to resign.

The assistant director for cybersecurity and the assistant secretary for international affairs

I've been thinking more about this in the waning days of Trump's reign, and what continues to amaze me (though it doesn't really surprise me) is the death star mentality we keep seeing. What could possibly possess a person at this stage to join Trump's toppling team?

You know, in the Star Wars universe, when an Imperial henchman fails (as they always must) the Emperor musters the force and kills him, and as the body lies on the floor, another henchman steps up, eager to try his hand. A retelling of the old fairy tale in which the hapless stumbler heads off to answer the oracle or fight the ogre. Is he spellbound, or just so devoid of hope that a flamboyant downfall seems a viable future?