Two civil rights lawyers who spoke out about the Trump administration’s efforts to limit enforcement of the Fair Housing Act were removed from their posts on Monday morning and said they were escorted out of the Housing and Urban Development Department by administration staff.
Palmer Heenan, who has worked as a lawyer at the housing agency since October 2023, and Paul Osadebe, who has worked there as a lawyer since March 2021, were among six current and former employees of HUD’s fair housing office who told The New York Times last week that Trump political appointees had made it nearly impossible for them to do their jobs. Their roles enforcing the Fair Housing Act, a cornerstone of U.S. civil rights, involved investigating and prosecuting landlords, real estate agents, lenders and others accused of discriminating based on race, religion, gender, family status or disability. Since January, their office has faced drastic cuts and a series of new procedures that have stalled or stopped thousands of legal inquiries.
Letters, memos and internal documents reviewed by The New York Times show that the Trump administration has repeatedly referred to civil rights work in housing as “not a priority of the administration”; that lawyers have been blocked from communicating with clients without approval from a Trump appointee, and had been barred from citing some past housing civil rights cases when researching legal precedent for new prosecutions.
Last week, the lawyers also provided documentation and testimony to Senator Elizabeth Warren, the ranking Democrat on the Senate committee responsible for overseeing HUD.
In a statement Monday in response to the dismissals, Senator Warren called out both Donald Trump and the HUD secretary, Scott Turner, accusing them of “turning their backs on the American people” and “silencing those who are speaking out.”
On Monday, Mr. Heenan and Mr. Osadebe were both called in for unscheduled meetings. Mr. Heenan, whose two-year probationary employee status was set to be upgraded to full-time employee next month, was handed a letter that said he was fired.
“You engaged in misconduct that included the disclosure of nonpublic information,” the letter read.
Representatives from HUD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The dismissals come as Mr. Trump ramps up efforts to utilize his office to attack those who disagree with his policies. He and his administration are engaged in a full-steam-ahead crackdown on liberal groups, law firms and even late-night TV hosts who speak out against him and his allies.
Mr. Osadebe, a full-time employee of four years, said he was handed a letter citing several news articles in which he had spoken out against changes at HUD, including in The New York Times, and then placed on paid administrative leave.
Both men said they are now considering their legal options but plan to seek protections as whistle-blowers. They are also both members of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union of federal employees, and plan to mobilize it for support. A representative from AFGE was in the room with both Mr. Osadebe and Mr. Heenan during their dismissal meetings.
“They are fully aware of the whistle-blowing,” Mr. Osadebe said of HUD. “You’re going to see the union speak out for the illegal retaliation against employees and the silencing of employees.”
Debra Kamin reports on real estate for The Times, covering what it means to buy, sell and own a home in America today.
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