This Week: The Real Problem With Trump’s DHS Purge

The ousted Secret Service Director Randolph “Tex” Alles recently said that he “was told weeks ago by the administration that transitions in leadership should be expected across the Department of Homeland Security.” Those “transitions in leadership” have now touched the DHS secretary, the acting deputy DHS secretary, the acting ICE director, and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan (who’ll take over as acting DHS secretary). Reportedly, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the DHS general counsel could be gone soon, too. So, what’s the problem? President Donald Trump is free to fill his administration as he pleases, though his disregard for the Federal Vacancies Reform Act risks sidelining the Senate’s necessary oversight powers. Here’s the thing: Various reports indicate that Trump fired (or was convinced by Stephen Miller to fire) Nielsen and others at least in part because they refused to break the law on his behalf. For example, the New York Times reported following Nielsen’s ouster…