CT lawmakers voice concerns over Coast Guard chief’s firing

Connecticut lawmakers raised concerns Tuesday over the Trump administration’s abrupt firing of Adm. Linda Fagan, who served as the first female commander of the U.S. Coast Guard and had most recently overseen the response to the Operation Fouled Anchor.

A senior official at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast Guard, confirmed Fagan’s firing, pointing to “leadership deficiencies, operational failures and an inability to advance the strategic goals” of the service.

The official cited several reasons for her departure: “ineffective” deployment of the Coast Guard to help with border security, dissatisfaction with recruiting and retention, efforts regarding diversity, equity and security policies. inclusion and delays and cost overruns on icebreakers and helicopters used in the Arctic. region.

Also among those concerns were the handling of Operation Fouled Anchor, a years-long investigation into decades of sexual misconduct complaints at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, and the decision by former leaders not to release a report on this subject to Congress. Fagan did not serve as a commander during this period but testified to it on two occasions. She apologized for her inaction and lack of disclosure until CNN broke the story in 2023.

Fagan was named commander in the summer of 2022, succeeding her predecessor, Karl Schultz, who retired after leading the Trump and Biden administrations. Fagan became the first woman to lead a U.S. military branch.

Admiral Kevin Mondayy, who has served as vice commander since last June, will now serve as acting Coast Guard commander.

Fagan’s impeachment was the first of the Trump administration and took place on the first full day of his presidency. The proposal received immediate backlash from some Connecticut Democrats, including those who scrutinized it over transparency and accountability related to Operation Fouled Anchor.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, called the news of his firing a Trump overreach. The congressman, whose district includes the Coast Guard Academy, pushed back on DHS’s evaluation of Fagan’s tenure and cited his work in surpassing the service’s 2024 recruiting goal and working on the production of new icebreaker ships.

Courtney pointed to a Coast Guard press release last September announcing that the military branch had met its recruiting goals for the first time since 2017 and recruited more than 4,400 active duty enlisted personnel.

“President Trump’s unprecedented decision, on day one, to fire a service chief before his planned departure is an abuse of power that maligns Admiral Fagan’s reputation and record,” he said in a press release. “The commander’s exceptional record completely negates the President’s blatantly false claims and signals his willingness to put politics ahead of the best interests of our military and national security.”

Courtney also praised Fagan’s leadership since the public became aware of Operation Fouled Anchor, saying she had worked to “rebuild trust.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, who oversaw one of the congressional investigations into Operation Fouled Anchor, criticized how the Coast Guard and Fagan cooperated with lawmakers in providing documents and information . Blumenthal condemned the service for its “culture of cover-ups.”

But Blumenthal also criticized Fagan’s firing and highlighted his years of service. Prior to his appointment as Commander, Fagan served in several other leadership positions, including Vice Commander and Commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area.

“I have criticized Admiral Fagan regarding the Coast Guard’s response to sexual assault and harassment issues following a cover-up executed by his Trump-appointed predecessor,” he said in an interview, referring to Schultz. “But this abrupt firing certainly raises concerns about how Donald Trump intends to treat the dedicated and professional men and women who have faithfully served our country for decades.”

With a Republican majority in the Senate, Blumenthal is now the ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Investigations Subcommittee. But he expects a continued bipartisan approach to getting more answers and accountability regarding Fouled Anchor.

Fagan first testified before the Senate Commerce Committee a month after the public became aware of the investigation through a CNN report in the summer of 2023. She testified again a year later before the panel of Blumenthal, where the senator argued that the Coast Guard still faces a “present, ongoing and persistent problem of sexual misconduct.”

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal holds a field hearing in New London with current and former Coast Guard personnel. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror

Past and present Coast Guard cadets and personnel who survived sexual assault and harassment also appeared before Congress to tell their stories and urge the service to adopt more policies to protect them and seek relief. accountable to managers.

Schultz served as chief of the Coast Guard from 2018 to 2022, during which time Fouled Anchor was underway and concluded. Fagan took the helm in June 2022. She previously told Congress that she was aware of the investigation in general, but only became aware of the “totality” of the investigation when CNN started asking questions.

She also testified that she first heard about Fouled Anchor in the fall of 2018, when senior leaders were briefed about it. She said she was aware of the investigation “in general terms” at that time, but said she did not know the “extent” of the number of victims until summer 2023.

In previous congressional hearings, Fagan has touted the work the Coast Guard has done to improve culture and implement additional policies to better protect cadets and service members. One included a safe reporting policy for victims who fear punishment for minor, unrelated offenses when reporting allegations of sexual misconduct.

Even though Fagan will no longer hold a leadership position, the panel could still choose to have her testify either voluntarily or through a subpoena. But Blumenthal said he would not speculate on how the subcommittee would proceed with its investigation.

“We have not yet decided whether we would like to have him as a witness again,” he said.