During the following summer, the Ministry of Magic began to make moves to discredit Dumbledore.[9] After he made a speech to the International Confederation of Wizards announcing Voldemort's return, he was stripped of his title as Supreme Mugwump. It is implied that he was voted out by representatives selected by the Ministry of Magic. They used the excuse that he was going senile in his old age. Soon after, he was removed from his post as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, for much the same reasons. Fudge even threatened to retract the Order of Merlin, First Class, from Dumbledore.[9] When he appeared as Harry's witness at the disciplinary hearing of Harry Potter, Fudge told him that he considered his (Dumbledore's) views on the Dementor attack "bilge."[10] When Fudge began to slander Harry in front of Dumbledore and the entire Wizengamot talking about Harry's misuse of magic at Hogwarts, Dumbledore pointed out that the Ministry had no right to punish students for what they did at school and could not expel students from school. Fudge took exception to this remark, indicating his want to influence the workings of Hogwarts.[10]