This Needs Fixin'

I started writing this last night, which may have been a mistake. Because of course there’s been some very relevant news this morning.

But I’ll get to that at the end.

This is for all you federal employees out there:

Y’all really need to stop resigning when the political appointees give you blatantly unconstitutional or illegal commands.

Make them fire you.

I realize that resigning feels good; righteous even.

But staying in your position and following the law and established procedures is much more effective.

Resigning just makes it easier for them to formally replace you with a sycophant who will go along with all of it. You may think they won’t be able to find someone like that, but they definitely will.

Make them follow every last bureaucratic procedural step.

Sue them for inappropriate dismissal if they don’t.

Sue them for inappropriate dismissal even if they do.

And don’t feel bad about it.

You know they’re not actually firing you for a legitimate reason; they’re firing you for refusing to follow unconstitutional or illegal orders.

Which makes you the hero.

I started on this because of the Justice Department attorneys who resigned yesterday rather than file papers dropping charges against New York City mayor Eric Adams. This was a principled stand for them to take, but a less useful one than simply ignoring the unlawful orders would have been.

And then today I read that all the Public Integrity Section attorneys have been ordered to sign off on it or be fired.

To which I can only say:

Make them fire you.

Don’t resign; don’t argue. Just do your jobs.

We’re all depending on you.

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