New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie revealed that Donald Trump is creating a list of federal government employees to fire in the event the the GOP nominee secures the White House in November. During a “closed doors meeting” Christie explained to members of the Trump campaign that the list targets officials appointed by Barack Obama. Trump would seek law changes that would make it easier for the Commander-in-Chief to fire public workers and commit a “mass purging” of employees.
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Christie is the leader of Trump’s White House transition team. During the meeting he stated that the Trump administration will attempt to “completely change the civil service laws” to allow the mass firing and removal of any employee appointed by Obama. He states that the current firing process is far too “cumbersome” and would be a time consuming process under the current laws. He hopes to take advantage of the Republican-controlled congress to pass any necessary legislation to speed up the process. Christie joked during the speech:
“As you know from his other career, Donald likes to fire people,”
During the speech, which was obtained by Reuters, Christie cited fears that the Obama administration could take preemptive steps to prevent the plan if it was discovered. He stated the Obama administration could convert the government appointed officials to civil servants, who are much harder to fire than appointed officials, in order to protect their positions under a Republican administration. He called the process “burrowing.”
Christie went on to say that employees of the Environmental Protection Agency would be the first on the proverbial chopping block. He, and several other members of the team, believe overprotection is slowing the growth of the coal and oil industries. Removing these officials from their positions and replacing them with Republican contemporaries would allow the Trump administration to revitalize those two industries and strengthen national security with little push-back.
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