The bipartisan commission planning national celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. has reportedly fired its executive director, a 25-year-old former Fox News producer chosen for the post by the White House.
Ariel Abergel clashed with fellow members of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission during his brief tenure, with colleagues reportedly concerned he was overstepping his role and working to make the national celebrations about President Trump, sources told The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the firing.
A spokesperson for the larger planning effort, which includes the 36-member commission and an associated nonprofit, told the paper Abergel was terminated “after he initiated a security breach of a commission social-media account, attempted to procure the resignations of multiple commissioners by misrepresenting himself as acting on behalf of Congressional leadership, and engaged in multiple other serious and repeated breaches of authority and trust.”
Abergel was also accused of having “defied directives from the Commission’s executive committee” and “engaged in unauthorized actions related to Commission approved programming, finances, and communications, jeopardizing the Commission’s operations and reputation.”
Abergel, who worked as a producer on Fox & Friends, claimed in a statement to the paper that the commission was spreading “malicious lies” and pinned his removal on pushback to an effort to mark slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death.
He said he asked the commission to release a statement about Kirk, then made an Instagram post about him without permission. He said he was suspended, asked to resign, then fired shortly after posting about Kirk.
The Independent has contacted Abergel for further comment.
The post in question — which features a photo of Kirk and the caption “America is in mourning. God bless Charlie Kirk” — is still online.
“The administration is incredibly proud of all of Ari Abergel’s work at America250 – most notably during the Army250 parade, which boldly honored the bravery and strength of our military men and women,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told The Independent. “Through the White House Task Force established by President Trump’s January Executive Order, we will continue to coordinate closely with America250 to ensure that all events heading into our nation’s 250th birthday are given the grand celebration our country deserves.”
An administration official told The Independent that Abergel always had access to the group’s social accounts.
The commission has faced controversy before, including internal arguments and allegations of misappropriation of taxpayer funds, as well as a lawsuit from a previous commissioner who alleged fellow commissioners conspired to get him and his executive director pushed out.
The planning body, which was involved in events like the controversial Army military parade through Washington this summer, had long been considered something of an afterthought in Washington, but Trump has taken a key interest in planning the national celebrations.
The White House is also leading an unprecedented, in-depth review of materials at Smithsonian museums in Washington to eliminate what is deemed “woke” material ahead of the 250th anniversary celebrations next year.
A White House official helping lead the sweeping audit accused the institution’s Washington museums of putting too much focus on slavery.
“The fact that our country was involved in slavery is awful. No one thinks otherwise,” Lindsey Halligan, special assistant to the president, told Fox News in August. “But what I saw when I was going through the museum was an overemphasis on slavery. I think there should be more of an overemphasis on how far we have come since slavery.”
