Usa Fencing Board Faces Lawsuit Alleging Chair Made False Statements At Doge Hearing On Trans Athletes

EXCLUSIVE: Two USA Fencing committee of board members are suing nan different six members, alleging chair Damien Lehfeldt made mendacious statements to legislature astatine a May 7 Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee proceeding connected transgender athletes. 

The lawsuit, which seeks to person Lehfeldt removed arsenic USA Fencing chair, was revenge connected USA Fencing's behalf by nan 2 plaintiff members.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) (L) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) (R) speak astir an alleged screenshot from nan Instagram of USA Fencing committee head Damien Lehfeldt during nan proceeding connected "Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports" held by nan Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee astatine nan U.S. Capitol connected May 7, 2025, successful Washington, D.C.  (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

The plaintiffs, Andrey Geva and Abdel Salem, each person agelong ties to nan athletics and organization. 

Geva is simply a erstwhile U.S. National Coach who led nan U.S. Women’s Épée Team astatine nan 2016 and 2020 Olympics, earlier being elected to nan committee successful 2024. Abdel competed for Egypt successful individual and squad épée events astatine nan 1984 Summer Olympics, nan erstwhile caput fencing coach of nan U.S. Air Force Academy, and successful 1996 was named nan U.S. Olympic Committee Coach of nan Year.

Now, they are taking nan statement to tribunal aft alleging Lefheldt falsely announced Geva's resignation from nan committee astatine a gathering connected June 7, and complete respective allegations involving nan May 7 Doge hearing.

The May proceeding was called successful consequence to a viral incident wherever women's fencer Stephanie Turner kneeled to protestation a transgender opponent, and was subsequently punished by USA Fencing. Lefheldt was nan lone fig to attest connected behalf of nan organization. 

The suit claims Lehfeldt made "false and misleading claims" astatine nan hearing, which now consequence nan statement being declassified arsenic a nationalist governing assemblage (NGB). 

"Defendant Lehfeldt’s non-corporative demeanor successful bad religion and untruthful and misleading statements astatine nan legislature proceeding connected May 7, [2025] has prompted nan Congress to see decertifying USFA arsenic an NGB, frankincense perchance risking Team USA’s qualification successful nan 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Game," nan suit states.

"His lies person alienated thousands of members successful nan fencing organization who person provided much than 90% of USFA’s revenues." 

Geva claims he attempted to speak astatine nan proceeding arsenic well, but alleges he faced "threats" aimed to "deter" him from it. Geva yet submitted a missive to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, connected May 2, expressing "opinion connected biologic men’s advantage complete women successful fencing." Cruz's agency had precocious opened an investigation into USA Fencing complete its transgender eligibility argumentation aft nan Turner incident. 

The missive was past referenced during nan DOGE proceeding by subcommittee chairwoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene. 

"'Transgender women's fencers person important competitions successful women's competitions,' he writes," Greene said during nan hearing, reference from Geva's letter. 

The suit alleges Geva was past messaged by a chap committee member, blaming him for his honorable individual opinion, and past 2 committee members called for a "special committee gathering intended to region aliases different subject Plaintiff Geva."

WHO IS STEPHANIE TURNER? WOMEN'S FENCER WHO KNELT TO PROTEST TRANS OPPONENT AND IGNITED GLOBAL AWARENESS

USA Fencing has acknowledged nan suit successful a connection to Fox News Digital. 

"USA Fencing proudly serves its members — athletes, coaches, referees and clubs — crossed our organization pinch absolute transparency and integrity. This derivative suit misrepresents our organization, and we will vigorously take sides nan statement successful court; immoderate effort to disparage them will beryllium addressed appropriately," nan connection read.

"Because litigation is ongoing, we cannot talk details. Our attraction remains unwavering: advancing fencing nationwide, supporting each member’s success, and upholding nan values of nan Olympic and Paralympic movement."

The statement has been nether immense nationalist scrutiny pursuing nan merchandise of nan footage of Turner's protestation connected April 2. 

Lefheldt's grounds astatine nan May 7 proceeding only intensified nan criticism. 

Lehfeldt, who was subpoenaed and did not travel voluntarily, made elevated nan contention up of nan proceeding pinch a bid of Instagram stories that were later blown up and utilized against him connected nan committee floor. In 1 post, which went viral earlier nan hearing, he responded to a mobility that asked whether he was "okay" pinch putting female fencers astatine a disadvantage pinch a simple, brash answer: "Yeah." 

Then, during nan hearing, Lehfeldt admitted aggregate times he regretted answering that measurement and admitted nan mobility required a "more-nuanced" response. 

At 1 constituent during nan hearing, Lefheldt confessed to falsifying an email from a fictitious fencing mother "Dorothy" who disagreed pinch him and called those members pinch akin position of "Dorothy" "grand wizard" of Ku Klux Klan.

"It was a mediocre effort astatine humor," Lehfeldt said. 

Rep. Tim Burhcett, R-Tenn., asked Lehfeldt whether he would fto his girl obstruction against "a man." Lehfeldt suggested he would let it while boasting astir his organization's information precautions. 

"As agelong arsenic nan competitor has met each nan hormonal requirements and complies pinch nan policy, I would beryllium okay pinch it," Lehfeldt said. 

Later successful nan hearing, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., suggested that Lehfeldt was "not" a man for his organization's gender eligibility policy. 

"Real men protect women, you're not one," Mace said. 

Mace moreover asked Lehfeldt to simply apologize to Turner for punishing nan fencer, to which nan chair declined and pointed retired that Turner received a achromatic paper for her refusal. 

Turner told Fox News Digital aft nan DOGE proceeding that she would activity to lobby activity changes to USA Fencing aft stepping distant from nan sport. 

"I'm going to beryllium pushing for group to resign, to beryllium honest. I'd for illustration to spot immoderate group resign for nan comments that they've made, particularly publicly, ones that are harassing and meant to humiliate concerned women, mothers and daughters," Turner said. 

Now, 2 members connected nan committee of board person joined that cause. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Amid nan ongoing scrutiny, USA Fencing's committee voted to amend its existent argumentation that prioritized states pinch LGBTQ-friendly laws for big sites for competitions and a argumentation that whitethorn person prevented nan playing of nan nationalist anthem astatine immoderate events, astatine its June 7 meeting.

The erstwhile policies became 1 of nan organization's biggest points of disapproval aft Turner's viral protest. 

USA Fencing has declined to explicate nan information down nan changes. 

"It would beryllium inappropriate for unit to estimate connected nan individual motivations of USA Fencing’s unpaid Board of Directors," a USA Fencing spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X, and subscribe to nan Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.