A former Fox News producer handpicked by Donald Trump to organize the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations has been fired over an Instagram post about Charlie Kirk.
Ariel Abergel, 25, parachuted into the executive director role at America250, was removed from his position by the bipartisan Semiquincentennial Commission, which oversees planning for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence next year.
Abergel was fired after he “initiated a security breach of a commission social-media account, attempted to procure the resignations of multiple commissioners by misrepresenting himself as acting on behalf of congressional leadership, and engaged in multiple other serious and repeated breaches of authority and trust,” a spokesperson for America250 told The Wall Street Journal.
He is also accused of having “defied directives from the commission’s executive committee” and of engaging in “unauthorized actions related to commission-approved programming, finances, and communications, jeopardizing the commission’s operations and reputation.”
Abergel, who previously worked as a producer on Fox & Friends Weekend, the morning show that launched the career of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, rejected the commission’s explanation for his firing, calling it “malicious lies” meant to “distract from the truth.”
He claimed he was fired after sharing a memorial post about Kirk, the MAGA political commentator who was shot and killed on Sept. 10, on America250’s Instagram account without prior permission.
“America is in mourning. God bless Charlie Kirk,” the post read, alongside a photo of the slain 31-year-old. Abergel said he had first asked America250 to make a statement about Kirk before taking matters into his own hands.
Abergel told the Journal he was initially suspended over the rogue social media post, before being asked to resign and ultimately getting fired.
Abergel, who graduated from college in 2021, saw a rapid rise to become the executive director of America250. He had a brief stint working in White House during Trump’s first term before moving on to working at Fox News.
He also oversaw the military parade through the streets of Washington, D.C., last June to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, an event that coincidentally fell on Trump’s 79th birthday.
Abergel’s removal is the latest headache at the Semiquincentennial Commission as the 250th anniversary of the U.S. approaches. There have been complaints from some members that Abergel had tried to twist the original aims of America250 from a national celebration to one solely to suck up to Trump, including last year’s military parade.
“It is unfortunate that what was meant to unite the country and honor its history has been twisted into yet another scheme for his own personal gain,” New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, a Democratic member of the commission, told the Daily Beast ahead of the parade.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the Journal that the administration “is incredibly proud of all of Ari Abergel’s work at America250—most notably during the Army250 parade, which boldly honored the bravery and strength of our military men and women.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and America250 for comment.
The post Trump Ally, 25, Fired From Group Organizing America’s 250th Birthday Over Rogue Instagram Post appeared first on The Daily Beast.
