Trump spoke with reporters before departing Los Angeles on Friday.Mark Schiefelbein/AP
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In a sweeping move, President Donald Trump ousted at least a dozen inspectors general on Friday night, purging major federal agencies of independent watchdogs tasked with identifying fraud and abuse. A federal law enacted in 2022 stipulates that the president must give Congress at least 30 days notice before firing an inspector general, as well as reasons for the firing—none of which occurred.
“It’s a purge of independent watchdogs in the middle of the night,” posted Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on X. “Inspectors general are charged with rooting out government waste, fraud, abuse, and preventing misconduct. President Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption.”
The inspectors general received an email from the White House saying their positions had been terminated “due to changing priorities.” The number of ousted inspectors is yet unclear, with reports ranging from at least 12 to about 17. The Washington Post and New York Times report that agencies whose watchdogs were removed include the departments of defense, state, transportation, labor, health, commerce, interior, and veterans affairs, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Small Business Administration. Some of those ousted include Trump appointees from the president’s first term.
The system of inspectors general dates back to 1978, after the Watergate scandal, when Congress enacted legislation to install independent watchdogs within federal agencies to conduct investigations and audits and report their findings to the public. Today, there are 74 inspectors general, 36 of whom are presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed.
Those fired on Friday include inspectors who were critical of the Biden administration, reports the Post. Michael Missal, of the Department of Veterans Affairs, oversaw investigations into the handling of electronic medical records for veterans, finding in 2o22 that the department had put veterans’ health at risk. Mark Greenblatt, of the Interior Department, was lauded by Trump after a 2021 report found that, in the summer of 2020, US Park Police led law enforcement officers into a crowd of mostly peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square to build a fence around the park to protect the officers—not to prepare for Trump to take a photo-op at a nearby church soon after.
One prominent inspector spared from the dismissals was Michael Horowitz, of the Justice Department. Horowitz, an Obama appointee, was praised by Trump supporters when he released a report in 2019 exposing errors in the FBI’s investigation into ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
For decades, the norm has been that inspectors general stay in office when new administrations take over. But during his first term, Trump removed several of them who were investigating his administration, including Steve Linick, of the State Department, who was ousted after opening an investigation into then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for the intelligence community, who handled the whistle-blower complaint that led to Trump’s first impeachment.
Democrats and some Republicans condemned Friday’s late-night removals, with some voicing concern that the openings would allow Trump to install loyalists in the inspector positions.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said when she arrived at the Capitol Saturday morning, “I don’t understand why one would fire individuals whose mission it is to root out waste, fraud, and abuse. This leaves a gap in what I know is a priority for President Trump. So I don’t understand it.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a champion of the watchdog program, said in a statement, “There may be good reason the I.G.s were fired.” He added, “We need to know that, if so. I’d like further explanation from President Trump. Regardless, the 30-day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not provided to Congress.”
Among those fired was Hannibal Ware, the inspector general of the Small Business Administration who also leads the council representing the watchdogs across various government agencies. Late on Friday night, he sent a letter to White House Director of Presidential Personnel Sergio Gor suggesting that the decision wasn’t legal and recommending that Gor consult with White House Counsel. “At this point,” he wrote, “we do not believe the actions taken are legally sufficient to dismiss Presidentially Appointed, Senate Confirmed Inspectors General.”
