White House asks Democratic members of federal privacy oversight board to quit

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration has asked the three Democratic members of the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, an independent executive branch agency, to resign by end of day on Thursday or face termination, a source close to PCLOB said on Wednesday.

The three members are Chair Sharon Bradford Franklin and two others selected by Democratic administrations, Edward Felten and Travis LeBlanc. They could not immediately be reached for comment.

Republican President Donald Trump, who took office on Monday, has vowed to purge civil servants and officials who do not hew to his agenda and aims to strip job protections from tens of thousands of federal employees.

PCLOB is tasked with making sure the federal government's extremism prevention programs are in line with safeguarding civil liberties and privacy. The board was established at the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission in 2004 after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

The New York Times earlier reported that the White House sent letters to three Democratic members of PCLOB on Tuesday night. The White House had no immediate comment.

PCLOB can have up to five members but not more than three can be from the president's party. A fifth seat at the board has been vacant for years and the departure of the three Democrats will leave the board with only one active member for now.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Nia Williams)

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