US Federal Election Commission chair says Trump removed her from office

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Federal Election Commission Commissioner and Chair Ellen Weintraub said on Thursday she received a letter from President Donald Trump removing her from office.

Since taking office on January 20, Trump has embarked on a massive government makeover, firing and sidelining hundreds of civil servants and top officials at agencies in his first steps toward downsizing the bureaucracy and installing more loyalists.

"There's a legal way to replace FEC commissioners-this isn't it," she said in a post on X, which had the letter attached.

"I've been lucky to serve the American people & stir up some good trouble along the way," she added in her post.

The letter attached to her post was date January 31 and signed by Trump. It said: "You are hereby removed as a Member of the Federal Election Commission, effective immediately."

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese and Sandra Maler)