Democrats Press NTSB Nominee on Brewing Legal Fight

Democrats on Thursday accused Republican colleagues of enabling a purge of independent agencies by advancing a presidential nominee to serve on the National Transportation Safety Board.

John DeLeeuw, an executive at American Airlines Group Inc., would replace Alvin Brown—who President Donald Trump dismissed in May—if confirmed by the full Senate. Brown, a Democrat, has sued the administration for reinstatement.

“The president removed him without complying with the law that Congress passed, plain and simple,” Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) said during a Senate Commerce Committee confirmation hearing. “Now folks are choosing to look ...