President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.

A federal official who was in charge of overseeing whistleblower complaints against the government and enforcing laws meant to tamp down on undue political influence sued President Donald Trump on Monday, arguing that his firing was unlawful.

Special counsel Hampton Dellinger was fired via email last week, according to Politico, which first reported the sudden ouster. Dellinger was the head of the Office of Special Counsel at the Justice Department. Though similar in name, the Office of Special Counsel is not related to the special counsels who investigated Trump’s now-dismissed criminal indictments. Instead, the OSC is an agency that enforces the Hatch Act, which restricts partisan political activity by government officials, the Whistleblower Protection Act and other laws protecting uniformed workers and veterans.

Dellinger has been in the role since last March after being confirmed by the Senate. His term is meant to last five years under existing statutes for special counsels at the agency. According to Dellinger’s lawsuit, Trump’s abrupt firing of him violates provisions that specifically declare that the president can only remove a special counsel........

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