One of former President Trump’s most controversial nominees, Roger Severino, is suing the Biden government, alleging that he illegally threatened to end his position on a regulatory board.
“President Biden’s attempt to remove me contrary to the law exposes his high promises of healing and unity for all Americans as nothing more than cynical manipulation,” said Severino in a statement provided to Fox News on Wednesday.
“Because I am not to be intimidated, even by the President himself, I am not going to resign from my duly commissioned post and I hope to see how President Biden tries to justify his vindictive actions in court.”
Severino previously served as head of the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where he executed much of Trump’s socially conservative agenda. Before leaving office, Trump appointed Severino to the United States Administrative Conference (ACUS) Council. Severino received his commission on January 16, just four days before President Biden took office.
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Filed in the DC district court, Wednesday’s lawsuit says Biden cannot unilaterally end his three-year appointment to ACUS. “The statute governing ACUS provides that Mr. Severino’s term on the Council lasts three years, and the statute does not provide for or allow presidential removal at will,” says the process.
The suit includes the text of an email from Gautam Raghavan, deputy director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office.
He says: “I am writing on behalf of President Biden to request his resignation from the United States Council Administrative Conference by 5:00 pm ET tomorrow, Wednesday, February 3. If you do not resign by that time, your appointment to the board will be closed. Thank you for your time and service. “
Severino did not resign, according to the case file. He responded by telling Raghavan that he was “surprised by his grade. What are the reasons for requesting my resignation so early in my assigned term?”
Raghavan, President Biden and Catherine M. Russell, who serves as director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, were named as defendants in the lawsuit.
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Severino claims that other ACUS members have received similar emails. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News’s request for comment.
Severino’s tenure at HHS included pursuing some of Trump’s most controversial policies on gender, sexuality, abortion and religious freedom. Fox News previously reported how former government officials claimed that the HHS general council office paralyzed the president’s agenda at OCR.