(Matthew Doarnberger, Headline USA) United States Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Lee Fagan has been fired by the new acting Secretary of Homeland Security.
Following the inauguration of President Trump, newly appointed Secretary Benjamine Huffman relieved Fagan of her duties.
According to Fox News, Fagan’s dismissal came partly as a result of ineffective deployment of Coast Guard assets to control the flow of illicit substances across the border.
In addition, her inability to recruit and retain adequate personnel and excessive focus on DEI policies were also a factor in her termination.
Billionaire Elon Musk addressed those policies specifically in a post where he linked to news of Fagan’s firing.
“Undermining the U.S. military and border security to spend money on racist/sexist DEI nonsense is no longer acceptable,” Musk posted.
A significant scandal erupted during Fagan’s watch as well when news of a cover up of sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy was made public.
The internal investigation into the claims, titled Operation Fouled Anchor, was not made public until 2023 despite its existence from 2014-2019.
Fagan was questioned by senators in a hearing last summer where she addressed the lack of accountability and the withholding of documents with regard to the accusations.
During the questioning, the Senate subcommittee found the academy shamed victims and failed to deal with perpetrators.
An unidentified senior DHS official says that the investigation revealed how the leadership was unwilling to ensure accountability and transparency in protecting service members.
Fagan stepped into her role as the 27th Commandant of the Coast Guard starting on June 1, 2022. She was the first woman to lead the Coast Guard or any other branch of the U.S. military.
Huffman has appointed Adm. Kevin Lunday to replace Fagan as Coast Guard Commandant.
