CNN reported this morning that Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul who Biden fired ....

[Botany]

... went to work this morning anyway. I don't know if he went into his office or was planning on working
remotely from his home. What is the matter with these people? "They" are really testing the limits on what
they can try to get away with on all fronts.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/09/politics/social-security-commissioner-fired-by-biden/index.html

Oh BTW Biden fired him Saul, because he refused to resign.

I might have part of this post wrong I only heard CNN's reporting on this one time and from another room.

*****

Update they turned off Saul's access to his work computer.

[Siwsan]

1. I trust they've deactivated his access to EVERYTHING

Swipe badge to enter the building, computer log in, email, the works.

[Delmette2.0]

27. That was my first thought

[wnylib]

30. NPR reported over the weekend

that he said he intended to go to work on Mondsy by logging in from home.

My first thought was that they would have - or should have - deactivated his access.

He is claiming that he was appointed to serve a specific term which prevents him from being terminated. But the SC has ruled that the president CAN terminate appointed employees. Can't appeal it higher than that.

This is all political theater to support the magat claim that TFG won and Biden has no authority.

[PatSeg]

33. "....prevents him from being terminated"???

These people are insane. What planet do they live on? Meanwhile, did he happen to notice all the people that Trump terminated who were appointed to serve a specific term?

[wnylib]

34. That's why I say that it is magat political theater,

intended to support their claim that Biden is an illegitimate president and has no authority.

[PatSeg]

47. Yeah, if they keep claiming it over and over again,

in their puny little minds, it might become true. Trump made denying reality the norm and it trickled down.

[wnylib]

51. I think it is intentionally subversive.

Magats get to whine about the "harm" being done by an illegitimate president firing "good" people who were appointed by the "rightful" president.

More fuel for the insurrectionist fire.

[Tiger8]

56. Rightwing is full of thugs & bullies

The only thing that stops them is something physical.

Just like the anti-mask crazies, where security must forcibly remove them from the airplane, as they are punching, spitting and yelling threats.

Is this arrogance, stupidity, or an anti-social personality disorder?

[wnylib]

58. It is a power grab by RW political

leaders who have sold the idea to their followers that it is a righteous cause of defending the nation.

[Calista241]

64. It's no different than the CFPB. Trump had to deal with Richard Cordray forever

until he resigned to run for some other office. Even now, there's an interim director. Why Trump never got around to appointing someone else to run the agency just to stick it to the Dems, I have no idea.

[PatSeg]

73. He has no real attention span

and is constantly distracted by petty crap. When there were very real and urgent issues to address, he was busy on Twitter attacking people who criticized him or that he didn't feel were loyal enough. Of course, he didn't really give a damn about the CFPB and probably wished it would just disappear.

[Aristus]

46. What? He hasn't heard about at-will employment?

Odd.

Republicans usually love that shit...

[wnylib]

55. Yes, they do love to support at will employment.

But that assumes that the one doing the firing is a legitimate boss. They do not accept Biden as the legitimate president, so they feel entitled to defy him.

[treestar]

70. All Republicans "principles"

will disappear when expedient.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

54. I used to be the computer security man at one company.

If someone was fired, I would be notified immediately, and I had a program to revoke all computer access that would do so in under a minute. This sort of thing is routine. Also, the badge would be seized immediately on the person's being notified of the firing; if the person was working from home, security at the front desk would be told not to admit the person. Again, typical actions done if someone is fired.

[Klaralven]

2. Revoke his building pass and disable his accounts.

Standard procedure when someone is fired. Then walk them out the door.

[dalton99a]

3. All Trump appointees must be swiftly and severely dealt with.

[Thomas Hurt]

4. I imagine there is security at the building and they won't let him in.

[wnylib]

32. He said he was logging in from home

[Chainfire]

35. Then charge him with a computer crime for trying to hack a protected site.

Do these people thing that we are out of jail space?

[wnylib]

43. I think it's worse than a computer hacking crime.

It's a magat insurrectionist refusal to accept that Biden has presidential authority because they insist that TFG won and will be reinstated in August.

[Chainfire]

37. Just more theater. One more chance to claim that the right are the victims.

[wnylib]

45. Worse than that. It is a refusal to accept

that Biden won and has presidential authority.

Theatrical, yes, but also subversive and seditionist.

[NJCher]

5. I burst out laughing

Did he wear his “I’d prefer not to” T-shirt?

I feel bad for Biden. They left a host of difficult problems to solve and now we have two clowns running around pretending they are still in their jobs.

[Doc Sportello]

6. +1 on the literary reference

Oh, Bartleby, oh humanity.

[thucythucy]

7. You don't see much reference to scriveners anymore.

Sad times....

[Doc Sportello]

10. Ha!

True.

[lastlib]

16. (they're called bloggers now........) eom

[PatSeg]

39. Or Xerox machines and scanners

They were human copy machines.

[jmowreader]

60. Well, there is the Scrivener's Error

In the old days when you busted someone for committing some sort of heinous deed, all the charging paperwork had to be exact. There was a case made famous by sovereign citizens where someone was busted for driving without a license, and the officer wrote the words “driver’s license” on the ticket. At the time, the state (it was Texas) called that document “operator’s license,” and the offender successfully appealed on grounds there was no such thing as a driver’s license in Texas. The Lege fixed that shit immediately, but today they would have called it a scrivener’s error and the conviction would stand.

The real impetus was drug cases. Way too many people were getting off because the cop misspelled the name of the drug - weed is a big one; according to the law of every state the correct legal spelling of weed is “marihuana.” If that spelling was good enough for Harry Anslinger, it is good enough for you. People were getting their cases thrown out because the cop wrote “marijuana” on the ticket.

[reACTIONary]

76. +10 nt I was thinking of Bartleby myself. nt

[Danmel]

79. That was my thought too-Bartleby the Scrivenet, the reboot

[JI7]

8. That article is from Friday

Which reports that he said he will show up anyways. So is there any updated information on whether he actually did show up somewhere or do anything ?

Someone said the job has been from home so it would have most likely involved logging in somewhere which he may not have been able to anymore.

[LonePirate]

9. He's performing so he gets noticed by some right wing outfit who will hire him.

He likes the paycheck and wants to continue receiving a six figure salary so he thought this would prove his loyalty to his former boss and the right wing cretins in this country.

[Botany]

14. I think he is part of a republican "push back" on reality, what should be acceptable, and having an

... elected representative democracy. Don't like the out come of an election? Hire some nut balls
to do a phony recount and make it so people can't vote. Or in the case of Florida 2000, bush v
Gore get the supreme court to stop counting the votes. Don't want Joe Biden to get a win over
a deadly pandemic tell people not to take the vaccines even though they themselves have gotten
the vaccine. aka having sick and or dead people is better than have a democratic President. Wanna
see liberal cry? Have a program to shoot wolves and then kill their pups in their dens.

[RKP5637]

11. These assholes follow the Trump model of no reality and nothing can happen. F, he likely thinks

Trump is/will be president. They have to be dealt with swiftly. These are not reality functioning people, but filled with delusional behavior. ... and many follow them that are the same. We have millions of really F'ed up people in the US.

[NJCher]

24. and to think

These are not reality functioning people

This not reality functioning person was in charge of one of our most important programs, vital to seniors across the country!!

[XanaDUer2]

31. And disabled people

They're making it hard to get ssdi They're evil. Glad he's fired

[RKP5637]

78. Yep, the Ex-President hired only the best of the best, the best in the world, I tell you.

How, anyone can support this ass is beyond me. How, can any sane person look at this guy and support and vote for him. The US really has some mass mental difficulties to me.

[lindysalsagal]

12. Change the bastid's login. Done.

Invalidate his door key, give away his parking space....Get a restraining order....

[Baitball Blogger]

13. All the Republican appointments should feel the bite of "Right to Work" policies.

[area51]

28. +1

They're so supportive of the right to fire, aka right to work policies, until they happen to them.

[Baitball Blogger]

57. Exactly. So sick of their hypocritical tags.

[LaMouffette]

15. Maybe he's pissed that they took away his red stapler.

Just like Milton in Office Space!

[link:

|

[PatSeg]

41. Oh, that is perfect!

[Dave says]

75. LOL, yes, perfect!

[hadEnuf]

17. Throw. Him. Out.

He has been fired. Period.

Have security physically remove him if necessary. Disable all of his accounts and clearances.

He is a disgruntled former employee and given the track record of his party, any further contact from him should be considered as a potential threat.

We need to stop allowing scum to get away with whatever they want.

[Efilroft Sul]

18. Isn't this what George Costanza once did in a "Seinfeld" episode?

[oldsoftie]

20. He had a contract. So they tried to MAKE him quit

Even walling off his office door!
One time Kramer started working at a company that never hire or paid him Until he turned in a report that was so awful he was tossed out

[Efilroft Sul]

21. That's it! Thanks, oldsoftie!

[oldsoftie]

72. Quite welcome!

[PatrickforB]

19. Sounds like Saul will have to be escorted out.

A disruptive day for the staff, for sure.

Saul is just another cell in the Trump cancer.

[NJCher]

25. also

disruptive day

yes

but I'll bet a lot of them will be smirking and having that oh so satisfied feeling of seeing someone get his due.

[Maine Abu El Banat]

22. Start throwing their crooked asses in jail

[Texin]

23. Why the fuck hasn't security barred him and IT personnel deleted his credentials yet?

If he is using SSA logins (STILL) from his home, have the FBI raid his house and arrest his ass. Good gawd. How is this allowed to continue?

[toughtony]

26. SIT IN THE PARKING LOT

They can disable his domain account. This locks him completely out of the system. They can deactivate his building access badge--this can be done without actually taking the physical badge. Hey THIS SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN DONE AS PART OF HIS OUT PROCESSING. Maybe that's what's happening now. Hopefully he doesn't steal anything. I believe alot of these trump appointments are Russian assets.

[getagrip_already]

44. You can't get into employee parking without id.....

There would be a keycard reader they would have to swipe. He would have to sit in visitor parking.

[TNNurse]

29. Does anyone really know details?

It seems simple to me, remove any access he has and have him escorted from the building by security.

[Effete Snob]

61. Yes, but the actual facts aren't as interesting

For one thing, Saul works remotely from his home in New York, so there is no building to escort him from.

Secondly, until recently, it would not have been possible for Biden to fire him. There are a number of positions that are insulated from direct presidential firing authority, and this position used to be one of them. However, under a recent court ruling made in the context of Trump wanting to fire the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Saul is most likely able to be fired by the president. Saul disputes that conclusion, so it may simply go to court.

Not really as interesting as the active imaginations here, but the facts are usually more boring...

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-low-drama-of-work-from-home

[TNNurse]

66. If he works remotely can his access be blocked???

And his paycheck terminated???

[Effete Snob]

67. Yes and yes

The paycheck is pretty irrelevant anyway, since that's not going to put a crimp in his lifestyle one way or the other. But disputes over authority to fire a government official are pretty routine. He can file a claim and have it adjudicated if he'd like. Anyone has a right to do that. He's simply preserving his dispute. He'll lose, but it's not the end of the world for this sort of dispute to arise.

[Effete Snob]

68. Incidentally, Democrats OPPOSED the court ruling that makes this firing possible

This decision made it possible:

https://upload.democraticunderground.com/10029896592

Note the comments opposing it at the time.

[treestar]

74. Thank you

Quite interesting!

[The Unmitigated Gall]

36. Better Haul Saul

Straight to the curb, give him a red stapler for his service and put him firmly in his car.

[IbogaProject]

38. Arrest him and charge him if he gets to log on beyond today.

Arrest him and charge him if he gets to log on beyond today.
Trying to log in after you are fired is a crime.

[Iggo]

40. He said he was going to. But he works from home and that's a real easy fix.

[Botany]

48. Can't wait until some right wing reporter tries to bring up Saul to Jen Psaki today.

10 second answer ... "We don't speak about terminated employees."

[3Hotdogs]

42. Let him mop the floor or whatever maintenance stuff

Just don’t pay him.

[Jon King]

49. They have to show he was fired for 'cause'.....

The way the statute is written, he can only be fired with cause. He does not serve at the pleasure of the President. So like any employee, he can appeal his termination and it will go through the system.

But of course he is doing this stuff for purely political reasons.

[BumRushDaShow]

59. The Biden Administration actually released some "for cause" reasons

in a statement. I had quoted what had been reported by WaPo in a LBN OP here - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142767461

From WaPo's report -

“Since taking office, Commissioner Saul has undermined and politicized Social Security disability benefits, terminated the agency’s telework policy that was utilized by up to 25 percent of the agency’s workforce, not repaired SSA’s relationships with relevant Federal employee unions including in the context of COVID-19 workplace safety planning, reduced due process protections for benefits appeals hearings, and taken other actions that run contrary to the mission of the agency and the President’s policy agenda,” the White House said in a statement.

So I expect they have all of the "for cause" reasons cited in whatever notice they sent to him (haven't been able to find a copy of that online anywhere yet).

The WaPo article went on to note this -

The Social Security Administration, which began in 1935, was later folded into Health and Human Services but regained its status as an independent agency in the mid-1990s to insulate it from politics, with a commissioner’s six-year term designed to straddle White House administrations. Under the Social Security Act, an incoming president can fire the commissioner only for cause. However, the Supreme Court issued two rulings recently that strengthened executive power when it comes to independent agencies led by a single appointee.

Last year, the court ruled that a law protecting the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from presidential supervision violated the separation of powers, leading Biden to remove Trump’s appointee his first day in office. The court issued a similar decision in late June, ruling that the president has the authority to remove the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Biden replaced the Trump-appointed agency head on that same day. The June decision raised the prospect that the head of the Social Security Administration would be next.

The bolded part distinguishes that SSA "Commissioner" from say, DeJoy's Postmaster General position at the USPS Postal Board (where the actual Board can only do the removal). SSA is also different from agencies that operate with a group of Commissioners like the FCC or SEC, etc. The SSA has no "group of Commissioners" with someone appointed "Chair".

I.e., when Democrats were trying to shield Corday's position at CFPB in 2017 and he opted to resign, leaving his then-Assistant in charge, TFG instead installed Mulvaney into the position, contrary to Dodd-Frank, and it went down the rabbit hole of a legal quagmire.

[BumRushDaShow]

50. That was from 7/9/21. But the SSA website's org chart today should tell you all you need to know

Last edited Mon Jul 12, 2021, 11:22 AM - Edit history (1)

https://www.ssa.gov/org/coss.htm





Katy bar the door -



A bio article - https://ssa-demonstration-lessons.abtassociates.com/presenters/kilolo-kijakazi

[rlegro]

52. Similar case in Wisconsin

When right-wing GOP Gov. Scott Walker was still in office, he appointed a businessman and Republican supporter to head up the all-important Wisconsin Natural Resources Board, which oversees policy for the state's environmental agency. Thus this long-respected citizen board was turned into a tool for right-wing business interests. The appointee (I won't even bother with his name) pushed for more lax regulations on issues like having a hunting season for endangered wolves. And got it. So anyway, Deomocrat Tony Evers beat Walker a couple years ago and according to the state Constitution had the power to appoint a successor to chair the board. Whereupon Republicans found a quirky component in the decades-old law setting up the board. It was intended to provide a smooth transition between old and new board appointees; the lame-duck board appointee could remain in office until the state Senate acted to confirm the new appointment.

Well, statehouse Republicans have pulled a Mitch McConnell, dawdling for months and years on many of Evers' nominees, never giving them hearings much less a vote and in one case firing an acting ("designated&quot cabinet agency head after he waited in vain for a year to have his nomination heard. The Natural Resources chair appointed by Walker (by party design, I'm sure)l has taken advantage of the GOP-controlled state Senate sitting on his successor's confirmation to announce that the law allows him to stay on indefinitely. So Evers appointee for months has had to sit in a chair in the audience area and say nothing while the Walker holdover holds court and insists he is going nowhere. What a bunch of jerks. They are not people who do things in good faith and in traditional or legal keeping. They do stuff to maintain power and dare you to do something about it.

[Orrex]

53. If I entered and refused to leave my workplace after I'd been fired...

I'd be physically removed from the site, and if I resisted then I'd be arrested and charged with criminal trespass.

Why isn't this fuckhead cuffed and sitting in a cell right now?

[Effete Snob]

63. Because he works from home

You'd physically remove him from his home?

Okay.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-low-drama-of-work-from-home

"Saul plans to go to work Monday morning by logging in from his home in New York"

[Orrex]

69. Give me a fucking break

The point is that he should be permitted no access, but it's just super-duper that you've ignored that point to zing me instead.

Well done, brave soul. Well done.

[Effete Snob]

71. Well it's pretty obvious that his access is cut off

Do you always talk to strangers like that?

You asked why he wasn’t cuffed and in a cell. I answered your question and provided a link.

Sorry. I apologize if I have offended you.

[treestar]

77. Cuffed and in a cell does seem a bit much for this

Seems a civil issue at most.

[not fooled]

62. Do the maggots realize

Saul was installed to continue trying to destroy Social Security, the puke goal ever since FDR started it?

How many maggots who are ON Social Security realize this???

[GoodRaisin]

65. They don't.

Magats think their social security is safe because Donald Trump told them he'd protect it. Magats believe every lie that comes out of his mouth.

Magats are stupid.