The commission planning official celebrations for the United States’ 250th birthday said on Tuesday that it had fired its executive director — an ally of President Trump — for “serious and repeated breaches of authority and trust.”
The U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, whose members include both Republican and Democratic members of Congress as well as current cabinet members, business leaders and others, said in a statement that the official, Ari Abergel, had “initiated a security breach of a commission social media account,” tried to coerce members to resign under false pretenses and defied orders from the commission’s leaders. The statement said that Mr. Abergel had jeopardized the commission’s “operations and reputation.”
His firing was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal.
A former Fox News producer and veteran of Mr. Trump’s first White House, Mr. Abergel was hired by the commission this spring on Mr. Trump’s recommendation.
In a statement on Tuesday, Mr. Abergel said he had been suspended just hours after posting a tribute to Charlie Kirk on the commission’s official Instagram account. The post, writtenthe day after Mr. Kirk was killed, showed a picture of the conservative activist with the caption: “America is in mourning. God bless Charlie Kirk.”
Mr. Abergel called the allegations of misconduct “malicious lies,” and criticized the commission’s chair, Rosie Rios, who was appointed by President Biden after serving as a top Treasury official in the Obama administration. In his statement, Mr. Abergel called Ms. Rios a “left-wing activist who clearly hates President Trump and those of us who support him.”
The commission’s Instagram post about Mr. Kirk had not been taken down as of Tuesday afternoon. The commission declined to say if that post had triggered Mr. Abergel’s firing.
A spokesperson said the commission would soon choose a new executive director in consultation with the White House.
Mr. Abergel’s firing was a clear sign of the tension and confusion surrounding the anniversary celebrations. The commission has planned a series of nonpartisan events — including a children’s art contest and a volunteerism effort — that would culminate next July 4 with a celebration on the National Mall.
But President Trump has established a separate White House effort to plan its own events — including civics lessons with conservative groups, and potentially mixed martial-arts fights on the White House grounds. That has led to concerns that the nation’s 250th birthday could become something narrower than originally intended: a celebration of Mr. Trump and his movement.
The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Mr. Trump appears to have little power over the makeup of the commission itself. Under the terms of the 2016 law that founded the group, congressional leaders appoint its members. Mr. Trump’s sole power under that law is to determine which of the commission’s members serves as its chair.
David A. Fahrenthold is a Times investigative reporter writing about nonprofit organizations. He has been a reporter for two decades.
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