President Donald Trump’s administration evicted former Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan from her home with three hours of notice on Tuesday not even enough time to gather her personal effects according to two people familiar with the incident.
Fagan, a four-star admiral and the first woman to lead a branch of the military, was removed from her post as the Coast Guard’s top officer on Trump’s second day in office. Officials at the Homeland Security Department which oversees the Coast Guard cited border security issues and an “excessive focus” on diversity, equity and inclusion among the reasons for her dismissal.
Fagan, who was named commandant in 2022, made a convenient target for a new president who wanted to flex his muscle. The process for firing her was less complex than for dismissing chiefs of the four main branches of the military. More than that, the move allowed him to send signals about his anti-DEI agenda and desire to stem the flow of illegal immigrants and goods into the United States.
Throwing her out of her house on short notice went a step further. “It’s petty and it’s personal,” one Fagan ally said.
NBC News reached out to the White House and the Coast Guard for comment.
Coast Guard leaders had given Fagan a 60-day waiver to find new housing, according to one of the sources. But on Tuesday, Homeland Security officials told the acting commandant, Kevin Lunday, that he had to kick her out because “the president wants her out of quarters,” according to one of the people familiar with the incident.
Credit: Nbc news