Washington According to two persons familiar with the matter, former Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan was evicted from her residence by President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday with only three hours’ notice, leaving her with little time to gather her personal belongings.
On Trump’s second day in office, Fagan, a four-star admiral and the first female military leader, was relieved of her position as the top officer of the Coast Guard. Her termination was due to border security concerns and an overemphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion, according to officials at the Homeland Security Department, which is in charge of the Coast Guard.
A new president looking to show off his power found Fagan to be an easy target. Compared to firing the chiefs of the four major branches of the military, firing her was a simpler procedure. More importantly, the action gave him the opportunity to make it clear that he was against DEI and that he wanted to stop the flow of commodities and illegal immigrants into the United States.
It went a step farther to evict her from her home without warning.
“It’s petty and it’s personal,” commented one of Fagan’s supporters.
However, a DHS official retorted that her removal from the house at Joint Base Anacostia Bolling was logical.
It was confirmed that Fagan had been instructed to leave. “She was terminated with cause two weeks ago today and she was still living in those admiral quarters,” the person stated. According to the official, they were unable to verify or refute the three-hour timeline.
For comment, NBC News contacted the Coast Guard and the White House.
One of the sources said that Coast Guard officials had granted Fagan a 60-day waiver to find new accommodation. Kevin Lunday, the interim commandant, was informed by Homeland Security authorities on Tuesday that he had to expel her because “the president wants her out of quarters,” according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
The DHS officer was unable to determine right away whether Trump actually issued the instruction or if his name had been called without his consent.
At 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Lunday then told Fagan that she had three hours to leave. According to one of the individuals, shortly after that, her team received a call from aides to Sean Plankey, a retired Coast Guard officer and senior adviser at DHS, telling her to leave the house open so that photos could be taken inside.
The Fagan ally described it as a “very odd power play.”
Fagan objected to DHS agents taking interior photos of the house.
She informed another Coast Guard official, “I do not authorize them to come into my house, whether I’m there or not.” According to one of the individuals, Lunday informed Plankey’s crew that any effort to enter the residence would be considered trespassing. Fagan did, however, leave.
According to a former U.S. military official, she departed the residence with most, if not all, of her personal belongings and domestic goods still present. She stayed with pals overnight.
Moving her personal belongings out of the house is now the responsibility of the United States Transportation Command.
“She was given a different place to stay,” the DHS officer stated. “We re still providing her housing.”
The official was unable to specify the type of dwelling, and the Fagan ally claimed that when the topic of her leaving the property was brought up, no other option was presented to her.