In this file photo, Lisa Gordon-Hagerty talks about the National Nuclear Security Administration. She was removed from her post in an abrupt round of departures at three agencies. Susan Montoya Bryan/AP
The Trump administration abruptly dumped the leaders of three agencies that oversee the nuclear weapons stockpile, electricity and natural gas regulation, and overseas aid during the past two days, drawing a rebuke from a prominent Republican senator for one of the decisions.
The sudden departures included:
- Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, the first woman to oversee the agency in charge of the nuclear stockpile. She was required to resign on Friday.
- Bonnie Glick, deputy administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. She was replaced by the acting administrator John Barsa, who had run out of time for his more senior role under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.
- Neil Chatterjee, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. He was replaced as chairman, though he will remain at FERC, an independent agency, as a commissioner.
The firings were overshadowed by the prolonged drama of the presidential election, which as of Friday had not yet been declared.
The White House declined comment on the firings, and declined to say whether there would be more in the wake of the election.
The Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Sen. Jim Inhofe issued a statement criticizing Trump's Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, who he said "effectively demanded" the resignation of Gordon-Hagerty. (The NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency that is part of the Energy Department.)
Inhofe called Gordon-Hagerty "an exemplary public servant and remarkable leader" and said Brouillette's decision "during this time of uncertainty demonstrates he doesn't know what he's doing in national security matters and shows a complete lack of respect for the semi-autonomous nature of NNSA."
Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden looks on while speaking in Wilmington, Del., Thursday. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 11:19 p.m. ET
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden spoke on Friday evening to reaffirm his belief that he would eventually emerge victorious against President Trump, urging calm and patience as his lead against the Republican incumbent has widened in key swing states that are still counting votes.
"We're going to win this race with a clear majority," Biden said, speaking alongside his running mate, Kamala Harris, in his home state of Delaware.
"What's becoming clear each hour is that record number of Americans, of all races, faiths, religions, chose change over more of the same," he said.
Biden has delivered remarks every day since Election Day, promoting optimism from his supporters and encouraging states to continue counting ballots so that a clear winner in the race could emerge.
As of Friday evening, Biden had won 264 of the 270 electoral votes necessary to secure the presidency. Trump, the Republican nominee, had won 214.
Biden's remarks come as the president's path to reelection has narrowed considerably, prompting Trump to spew baseless accusations of voter fraud in an effort to undermine the integrity of the election.
Election experts agree there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, despite Trump and his allies continuing to push unfounded conspiracies on the issue.
On Friday evening, Trump tweeted: "Joe Biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the President. I could make that claim also. Legal proceedings are just now beginning!"
In a later tweet, he wrote: "I had such a big lead in all of these states late into election night, only to see the leads miraculously disappear as the days went by. Perhaps these leads will return as our legal proceedings move forward!"
Biden on Friday had chiseled away at earlier Trump leads in Georgia and Pennsylvania. The former vice president pulled ahead in both states, which Trump depends on if he is to be reelected.
President Trump arrives to speak in the briefing room at the White House Thursday. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Aides to President Trump have been counseling him this week that his legal options to try to contest the election are limited, but Trump wants to fight it out, a former campaign adviser who remains in touch with key players told NPR.
"It's dawning on him," the former adviser said, speaking on condition of anonymity to comment on private conversations. "He never thought he could lose ... and those of us who are in Trump World, we actually never believed he could lose."
Trump's ability to withstand crisis after crisis conditioned his team to have "a false sense of reality because he's survived so many times. You just assume he's going to survive again," the former adviser said.
The former adviser said he believes Trump will eventually concede, but at this stage believes he has a responsibility to the people who voted for him to "go to the mattresses to push, you know, as far as he can."
The campaign recognizes that Trump's legal options are limited, the former adviser said, given his large deficits in Georgia and Pennsylvania. "There's only so many legal options that he has," the former adviser said. "And even those legal options, they don't make sense because he still doesn't get to 270."
Democratic nominee Joe Biden is currently six electoral votes from securing the presidency, while President Trump's path to reelection has narrowed considerably. Trump has been baselessly claiming that Democrats are stealing the election.
The campaign has named David Bossie, a close sounding board for Trump during both campaigns, to lead the broader effort to fight. Bossie is not directing lawyers, but rather is a conduit between Trump and his base, the former adviser said.
But many election law experts say that the number of votes that would be fought over in legal challenges likely wouldn't be seen as being large enough by the courts, and ultimately the Supreme Court, to justify the litigation.
In public, Trump and his campaign have vowed to pursue legal challenges aggressively. The campaign has filed lawsuits in several states, many of which have been dismissed. Others are pending.
"We will pursue this process through every aspect of the law to guarantee that the American people have confidence in our government," Trump said in a statement Friday." I will never give up fighting for you and our nation."
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