By Nandita Bose and Chandni Shah, Reuters
President Donald Trump signs documents as he issues executive orders and pardons for January 6 defendants in the Oval Office at the White House on Inauguration Day in Washington, DC, on January 20. Photo: Carlos Barria/Reuters via CNN Newsource
US President Donald Trump fired 17 independent watchdogs at multiple government agencies on Friday, a person with knowledge of the matter said, eliminating a critical oversight component and clearing the way to replace them with loyalists.
The inspectors general at agencies including the departments of State, Defense and Transportation were notified by emails from the White House personnel director that they had been terminated immediately, the source said on condition of anonymity.
The dismissals appeared to violate federal law, which requires the president to give both houses of Congress reasons for the dismissals 30 days in advance.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, noting a possible violation of law in remarks on the Senate floor on Saturday, called the firings "a chilling purge" and a preview of what he said was a "lawless approach" by the Trump administration.
"When government agencies disobey the law in the next year and there's no independent IG to keep them in check, Donald Trump could well regret this action," Schumer said.
An inspector general is an independent position that conducts audits and investigations into allegations of waste, fraud and abuse of power.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, a longtime supporter of inspectors general, said he wanted to know why Trump fired the watchdogs.
"There may be good reason the IGs were fired. We need to know that if so. I'd like further explanation from President Trump," Grassley said in a statement, adding that a detailed 30-day notice of removal was not provided to Congress.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Agencies are pressing ahead with orders from Trump, who returned to the presidency on Monday, to reshape the federal bureaucracy by scrapping diversity programs, rescinding job offers and sidelining more than 150 national security and foreign policy officials.
Friday's dismissals spared the Department of Justice inspector general, Michael Horowitz, according to the New York Times. The Washington Post, which was first to report the dismissals, said most were appointees from Trump's 2017-2021 first term.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, called Trump's action a "purge of independent watchdogs in the middle of the night", posting on X: "President Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption."
Former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, an ally of the president, defended the decision on X, saying "existing IGs are virtually worthless".
"They may bring a few minor things to light but accomplish next to nothing," she wrote. "The whole system needs to be revamped! They are toothless and protect the institution instead of the citizens."
Many politically appointed leaders of agencies and departments come and go with each administration, but an inspector general can serve under multiple presidents.
During his first term, Trump fired five inspectors general in a two-month period in 2020. This included the State Department, whose inspector general had played a role in the president's impeachment proceedings.
Last year, Trump's predecessor Joe Biden fired the inspector general of the US Railroad Retirement Board, after an investigation found the official had created a hostile work environment.
In 2022, Congress strengthened protections for inspectors general, making it harder to replace them with hand-picked officials and requiring additional explanations from a president for their removal.
- Reuters
