Judge allows Trump to fire top CIA doctor who appeared on ‘Deep State Target List’
A federal judge cleared the way for President Donald Trump to fire a top CIA doctor involved in the firing of agents who refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
At a Friday hearing, U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff declined to prevent Dr. Terry Adirim from being fired from her position as head of the CIA Centers for Global Health Services. Adirim claimed that her firing was due to her being targeted by “a political extremist,” but the Department of Justice argued the evidence was only circumstantial.
Her firing came shortly after right-wing activist Laura Loomer met with Trump at the White House, leading some to suspect that her firing was the direct result of an appeal from Loomer. She has “exposed” several Trump administration staffers for alleged disloyalty and ties to foreign adversaries, coinciding with several firings.
“There is no reason other than the close timing of Ms. Loomer’s White House visit and the CIA’s communication of its termination decision to Plaintiff to suggest the two are linked,” the Justice Department argued in a court filing.
Adirim appeared on a list made by Ivan Raiklin, a right-wing activist who has accused a number of government officials of treason. The list is called the “Deep State Target List” and was mentioned in Adirim’s lawsuit.
The CIA argued that her firing came after “multiple complaints by several different CIA officers” about her conduct, complaints that roused concern among CIA leadership.
Adirim argued that her service was impeccable and that her life was put at risk by targeting from right-wing activists.
CIA FIRED ITS TOP DOCTOR AFTER SHE APPEARED ON ‘DEEP STATE TARGET LIST’: LAWSUIT
“Plaintiff and her family suffered terrible injustice only because her good service to our country made her a target for a political extremist who defamed her and called for the termination of her employment and even her death,” Adirim’s lawyer said in the lawsuit.
Nachmanoff sided with the CIA and DOJ, finding Adirim’s argument unconvincing.
