President Trump on Monday fired all three Democrats on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), bringing much of its work to a standstill.
The move guts a board designed to ensure the government’s work to fight terrorism is balanced with protections for civil liberties.
The White House informed the three Democrats on the board on Thursday it was seeking their resignation, but the members were officially terminated Monday.
It’s an action that removes some voices on the panel critical of some foreign surveillance actions — a detail that often had them aligned with right-wing Republicans who wish to curtail such programs.
It also stands to diminish oversight of the intelligence community.
PCLOB confirmed the dismissals and indicated it would need new members to continue its work.
“The White House terminated Chair Sharon Bradford Franklin, and Members Ed Felten and Travis LeBlanc from their positions as of 5 p.m. last Thursday. The agency, however, has significant ability to continue functioning with its full staff and remaining Member Beth Williams to continue the Board’s important mission, including its advice and oversight functions, and its current projects,” PCLOB spokesperson Alan Silverleib said in a statement.
“The Board looks forward to moving ahead on additional projects formally following the nomination, confirmation, and appointment of new Members.”
While the control of the board shifts to reflect the party of the president, PCLOB should still have two Democratic members.
The board’s Democratic members in 2023 released a report critical of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows for warrantless spying on foreigners located abroad.
While that reflected a partisan divide on the board, the move left the panel’s Democrats aligned with right-leaning congressional Republicans and other privacy-minded lawmakers who have advocated for adding a warrant provision before reviewing any information incidentally collected on Americans.
LeBlanc on Monday said the trio of firings spelled bad news for those invested in privacy concerns and oversight of the intelligence community.
“The Board’s independence is crucial to ensuring that the President, Congress, and the public receive honest, expert, and complete information about the nation’s most highly classified programs and activities,” he said in a statement.
“Today, I regret that the Board’s partisan shift will ultimately undermine not only the mission of the agency, but public trust and confidence in the ability of the government to honor privacy rights, respect civil liberties, honestly inform the public, and follow the law. Oversight is tough work, but it is absolutely essential to accountability in a democracy.”
