Donald Trump will face his very first lawsuit just moments after taking office
Donald Trump will face his first lawsuit just moments after taking office. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Donald Trump will face his first lawsuit shortly after taking office, relating to his newly created Department of Government Efficiency, co-led by Elon Musk.
The Department of Government Efficiency, referred to as DOGE, will face a lawsuit almost immediately after Trump is sworn in.
As reported by Forbes, the lawsuit has been filed by the public interest law group National Security Counselors, which alleges that the panel is violating the 1972 Federal Advisory Committee Act.
It aims to prevent DOGE from conducting business and to stop the White House from implementing its recommendations until its panel complies with the law.
The lawsuit claims that DOGE qualifies as a federal advisory committee, meaning it must, to name a few qualifying points, have a “fairly balanced” membership, keep minutes, have public meetings and file a charter, which the group allege none of the panel have done.
Trump accused of ‘inappropriately influencing’ DOGE
Additionally the lawsuit states that, according to the law, advisory committees must “have a non-discretionary duty to ‘not be inappropriately influenced by the appointing authority or by any special interest,’” and the plaintiffs argue that Trump and others have “inappropriately influenced” the committee.
The co-plaintiffs are Jerald Lentini, an attorney for National Security Counselors and elected official in Manchester, Connecticut, and Joshua Erlich, an employment lawyer, according to Forbes.
In November, Vivek Ramaswamy was appointed by Trump, alongside the “wonderful American” Elon Musk, to co-lead DOGE, an organisation operating independently of the government. However, according to CNN Ramaswamy is expected to step down and instead run for Ohio governor, replacing Mike DeWine.
Trump plans to sign dozens of executive orders – potentially up to 200 – on his first day back in office, and a ban on trans women in female sports may be among them.
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