HUD Seeks to Fire Attorneys Over Whistleblower Disclosures

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is trying to fire two of its own lawyers after they accused the agency of gutting fair housing enforcement.

HUD attorneys Paul Osadebe and Palmer Heenan were both pulled into meetings on Sept. 29 and told to leave the building, Bloomberg reported. Heenan, a probationary employee, was terminated outright for misconduct tied to sharing nonpublic information. Osadebe, a trial lawyer with the agency since 2021, was placed on administrative leave pending termination for allegedly speaking with the New York Times and Washington Post.

The pair were the only named signatories on an Aug. 27 whistleblower disclosure sent to Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The memo accused HUD of reassigning civil rights lawyers, walking back existing discrimination charges and sidelining cases involving redlining, appraisal bias and other forms of housing discrimination.

They warned that the retreat amounted to gross mismanagement and a threat to public safety.

Union leaders and advocacy groups blasted the firings as retaliation. Ashaki Robinson, who heads the union representing HUD’s D.C. staff, said arbitration is on the table if Osadebe is officially dismissed. The Federal Unionists Network called HUD’s actions a “stunning act of illegal retaliation.” Federal law prohibits punishment of employees who disclose abuse of authority or violations of the law.

HUD said it doesn’t comment on individual personnel matters but insisted employees must follow federal rules. A deputy general counsel accused Osadebe of disparaging the agency’s leadership to reporters.

The crackdown comes as HUD’s fair housing office faces mounting scrutiny. Warren, in a Sept. 22 letter, demanded an inspector general probe into whether HUD is enforcing civil rights laws. HUD insists enforcement continues, noting thousands of cases have closed, and pointed blame at the Biden administration for delays.

Legal experts say whistleblower retaliation is common, often masked as performance-related discipline.

Osadebe and Heenan, meanwhile, argue the agency is actively dismantling its fair housing work. “We are essentially the district attorney that goes after people that engage in housing discrimination,” Heenan said. “Both of our offices are being destroyed.”

The attorneys are weighing their next steps.

— Holden Walter-Warner