CNN’s Scott Jennings told network commentator Xochitl Hinojosa on Sunday that the resistance of bureaucracy to cuts in the federal government “has to stop” after she asserted FBI cuts would lead to a terrorist attack.
Since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, his administration has been working to identify and cut waste and fraud in taxpayer spending, including layoffs. During a CNN panel discussion on the push to fulfill Trump’s campaign promise of reducing federal government size, Hinojosa, former Department of Justice (DOJ) public affairs director, alleged that the administration has been focused only on loyalty, adding that cutting 5,000 FBI agents would have serious consequences.
“Going back to loyalty, I think it’s a very fair point because you claim that Trump is not asking for loyalty within the federal government. He absolutely is,” Hinojosa said. “I was at the Department of Justice. They are telling [me] — essentially attorneys, career prosecutors — if you are not loyal to Trump, then you should get out of here. ”
“He fired the January 6th prosecutor. He’s trying to fire FBI agents, 5,000 FBI agents who worked on January 6th cases. If you fire 5,000 FBI agents, we will have a terrorist attack,” Hinojosa added.
President Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) was given details of more than 5,000 FBI personnel on Feb. 4, all of whom were reportedly working on cases involving Jan. 6 investigations, according to CNN. The information handed over to the DOJ included employee identification numbers, job titles, and roles in investigations related to Jan. 6, the outlet reported.
In response to the commentator, Jennings interjected, stating that the American people voted for Trump and his campaign promises.
“Unfortunately, we have elections for a reason in this country. We vest all executive authority in a president of the United States, not in an unelected bureaucracy, not in independent agencies, but in a president,” Jennings responded. “The president’s agenda matters. When a Republican is president, the bureaucracy resists. It has to stop.”
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Hinojosa pushed back on Jennings, stating his description sounded “more like a king,” before Jennings referenced the Constitution. However, Hinojosa spoke over the CNN commentator, claiming the Trump administration was not “upholding” the Constitution.
“Yeah, it’s not our Constitution to impede on the spending power of Congress, for instance, and take away agencies that we authorize. So this is not constitutional at all,” Democratic Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam added.
“But then Democrats want to sit here and complain about that, but had no issue whatsoever when Joe Biden defied the Supreme Court and continued to unilaterally pardon student loan debt? That money was monopoly then,” former Trump Press Communications Director Erin Maguire pushed back.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled on Thursday that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must rescind its directives to initiate firings of federal probationary workers. While the judge stated that OPM does not hold “authority whatsoever, under any statute in the history of the universe, to hire and fire employees at another agency,” he noted that he could not halt actions by departments like the Department of Defense, which reportedly plans to cut 5,400 probationary employees.
In his final response to Maguire, Subramanyam said that cuts to federal workers would cause “lasting damage to our country,” adding that he would continue to fight.
“Dana, one wants bigger government, one wants smaller government. I think I’ll take it to the midterms,” Jennings concluded.
Following the DOJ’s acquisition of information on FBI personnel, a lawsuit was reportedly filed by multiple anonymous agents and employees, alleging that the DOJ violated First Amendment and privacy laws.
Former and current FBI officials told NBC News that acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll had dismissed the DOJ’s directive to remove agents involved in Jan. 6 cases. While it remains unclear whether the FBI will implement massive cuts under newly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel, who took office on Feb. 20, Patel ordered his agency on Feb. 23 not to respond to the Department of Government Efficiency’s email requesting federal employees to justify their work.
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