Fired public television officials sue Trump administration to block terminations
Three officials have been terminated from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the nonprofit that oversees the funding for public television and radio, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday against the Trump administration.
Three members of the group's Board of Directors, Tom Rothman, Diane Kaplan and Laura Ross, said in a court filing that President Trump doesn't have the authority to fire them.
"Indeed, under the Act, Congress made it clear that it the CPB is a private corporation, over whom the President has no authority save the ability to nominate members of the Board of Directors, with the advice and consent of the Senate," lawyers for the trio wrote in the court filing.
The three ousted officials are seeking to block the terminations.
According to the court documents, the three board members received an email from Trent Morse, the deputy director of White House personnel, that notified the board members that their positions were terminated. The correspondence said in full, "On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service."
There was no further reason given for the terminations. In a statement, White House spokesman Taylor Rogers said that the "courts have affirmed" that "the Constitution gives President Trump the power to remove personnel who exercise his executive authority. The Trump Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue."
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which was formed in 1967, is a private corporation that helps support and steward hundreds of public media organizations, including radio and TV stations.
In March, Mr. Trump said he "would love to" cut funding to NPR and PBS, the two highest-profile public media organizations. Much of the public money for NPR and PBS flows through the Corporation.
In their legal filing, the three ousted officials argue the Trump administration risks incurring damage of the organization by alleged overreach.
"These harms include the frustration of CPB's mission and statutory obligations, ultra vires actions taken by unlawfully installed officials, the exposure of attorney-client privileged documents and sensitive operational and personal information, the permanent destruction of documents and other real property, the loss of goodwill and public trust, chilled speech, and possible destruction of the CPB itself," their lawyers said in the filing.
Rothman is a former Sony executive and Kaplan is a former Alaska public radio official. All three were all appointed in 2022 by President Biden.
Scott MacFarlane is CBS News' Justice correspondent. He has covered Washington for two decades, earning 20 Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards. His reporting has resulted directly in the passage of five new laws.
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