- President
Donald Trump dropped three agency heads in the days after the election, NPR reported. - The ousted agency leaders include: Neil Chatterjee, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration; and Bonnie Glick, deputy administrator of the US Agency for International Development.
- The departures came amid speculation that other agency heads and government officials may be fired or resign from the
Trump administration , including FBI Director Chris Wray and Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
President Donald Trump dropped three agency heads in the days after the election, NPR reported.
The ousted agency leaders include: Neil Chatterjee, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration; and Bonnie Glick, deputy administrator of the US Agency for International Development.
The departures came amid speculation that other agency heads and government officials may be fired or resign from the Trump administration, including FBI Director Chris Wray and Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
Chatterjee, a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, announced on Twitter Thursday that he would no longer be the chairman of FERC, an agency that regulates electricity, natural gas, and oil pipelines, but would remain on as a commissioner.
Chatterjee, who took efforts in his role to promote renewable energy, reportedly said in an interview with the Washington Post that he thinks he may have been "demoted for my independence" in regards to climate change.
Gordon-Hagerty, who led the agency that oversees the US nuclear weapons stockpile, resigned on Friday. Sources reportedly told Bloomberg that she resigned after Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette's office told her Trump no longer believed in her ability to do the job.
In a statement, Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, a Republican who serves as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, praised Gordon-Hagerty and criticised Brouillette for pushing her out.
"That the Secretary of Energy effectively demanded her resignation 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," the statement read.
Glick, who led the agency responsible for foreign aid and development assistance, was terminated in a letter on Friday after refusing to resign, according to The Washington Post.
Her former agency,
The White House did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment on the departures.