malfeasance

Wrongdoing or unlawful conduct by a public official or professional, particularly the commission of an intentional act that is known to be improper or illegal. Malfeasance in office, often paired with “neglect of duty” as statutory grounds for removal from a federal position, refers specifically to affirmative misconduct as distinct from mere incompetence or negligence. Statutes governing independent multi-member agencies such as the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) permit removal of members only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office, a phrase that constrains presidential firing power and is the central legal issue in challenges to Trump’s removal of agency board members.