The first woman to lead the U.S. Coast Guard was evicted from her home with only three hours' notice this week, a move that saw her forced to leave behind most of her personal items, a new report says.
The shock removal of four-star Admiral Linda Fagan from her home on Joint Base Anacostia Bolling in Washington D.C, comes two weeks after Homeland Security officials stripped her of her role as Commandant – in a workforce-wide email – as the first round of Trump’s ruthless purge began. It was earlier reported that Fagan learned of her dismissal while waiting in line for a photo with Trump at an inaugural ball.
Despite originally being told that she had 60 days to vacate, an NBC report says that on Tuesday at 2 p.m., Fagan was notified by aides to DHS senior adviser and retired Coast Guard officer, Sean Plankey, that she had in-fact three hours to gather her things and to get out.
Acting Coast Guard Commandant Kevin Lunday was reportedly told: “The president wants her out of her quarters.”
The admiral was further ordered to leave the house unlocked to allow for the interior to be photographed, shared one source, something that Fagan reportedly pushed back on.
“It’s a really strange power play,” a Fagan-ally told NBC, adding: “It’s petty and it's personal”.
Fagan is said to have left the premises cordially, despite an initial protest, “with many – maybe all – of her personal items and household goods still there” before sleeping at a friend’s house said a former U.S. military official.
The initial email, on behalf of Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamin Huffman which brutally axed Fagan from her role on January 21, stated: “Under my statutory authority as the Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, I have relieved Admiral Linda L. Fagan of her duties as Commandant of the United States Coast Guard.
“She served a long and illustrious career, and I thank her for her service to our nation.”
Lunday, was brought in as her immediate replacement after DHS officials blamed an “excessive focus” on diversity and inclusion efforts as a diversion to the Coast Guard’s “resources and attention from operational imperatives”, reported Politico.
DHS officials, while stating DEI, blamed Fagan’s failure to grapple with border security threats and an "ineffective deployment of Coast Guard assets" to manage drug smuggling along maritime borders.
Fagan took up the role in 2022, serving half of her four-year term following her dismissal
Fagan’s belongings will be moved out of the house by the United States Transportation Command and DHS insisted that they provided her with somewhere else to stay.
Fagan’s firing is reported to be a move by Trump to further his anti-DEI agenda – a stance he peddled, just last week, as he springboarded off the Washington D.C. aviation disaster by pointing the blame at the Federal Aviation Administration’s DEI agendas.
The Independent contacted The White House, DHS, and the U.S. Coast Guard for information.
