In a late-night move, Trump fires several inspectors general

In a late-night move, Trump fires several inspectors general

President Donald Trump fired at least 17 independent watchdogs, known as inspectors general, at various federal agencies late Friday, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The discussions about removing these government watchdogs began during Trump’s return to the White House.

While the president can fire inspectors general, he must communicate with Congress 30 days in advance, and Congress strengthened the law in 2022, requiring administrations to provide a detailed explanation for firing an IG.

There isn’t yet a complete list of all the IGs affected, but at least one high-profile watchdog, Justice Department IG Michael Horowitz, did not receive notice of his dismissal as of yesterday evening.

Horowitz is an Obama appointee who has produced reports critical of both the Trump and Biden administrations.

The current law also requires that any acting IGs come from within the IG community, though it’s unclear whether the Trump administration believes they must follow that provision.

According to a source familiar with the firings, the inspectors general were caught off guard by emails sent Friday night by Sergio Gor, the director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office.

“I am writing to inform you that due to changing priorities, your position… is terminated, effective immediately,” according to the emails reviewed by ABC News.

According to the source, many of the inspectors general had met with Trump transition officials at their agencies and had productive conversations with the incoming administration.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Saturday that Congress did not receive the required 30-day notice.

While speaking with reporters on Air Force One on his way from Las Vegas to Miami Saturday evening, Trump described the firings as a “common thing to do.”

“Well, I did it because it’s something that many people do; not all of them. We’re keeping, just like Horowitz.

While speaking with reporters on Air Force One on his way from Las Vegas to Miami Saturday evening, Trump described the firings as a “common thing to do.””Well, I did it because it’s something that many people do; not all of them. We’re keeping, just like Horowitz.He kept going: “It’s a very standard thing to do, very much like the U.S. attorneys.”

He kept going: “It’s a very standard thing to do, very much like the U.S. attorneys.”

“There could be a good reason the IGs were fired. We need to know if that’s the case. “I’d like more explanation from President Trump,” Grassley said in a statement to ABC News. “Regardless, the 30 day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not provided to Congress.”

Grassley told ABC News earlier this week that the president must notify Congress prior to removal.

“First and foremost, our Inspector General cannot be removed from office until the president, and that includes all presidents, not just Trump. So this is a message to all of these presidents: you must inform Congress a month in advance of the reasons for their removal,” Grassley said.

He went on: “And the other thing is that inspector generals are expected to be independent of political pressure, independent of the head of the agency, and to make sure that the law is enforced and money spent appropriately, and there shouldn’t be any political pressure against any of his work.”

In a letter to the White House Friday, Mike Ware, the Small Business Administration inspector general and chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, stated that firing independent watchdogs over email is not “legally sufficient to dismiss Presidentially Appointed, Senate Confirmed Inspectors General.”

The letter, obtained by ABC News, goes on to explain the removal procedure outlined in the 2022 amendments to the Inspectors General Law.

“The requirement to provide the substantive rationale, including detailed and case specific reasons, was added to better enable Congress to engage on and respond to a proposed removal of an Inspector General in order to protect the independence of Inspectors General,” Ware reported.

In floor remarks Saturday morning, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer chastised the Trump administration for the move, claiming that the dismissals may violate federal law.

“These firings are Donald Trump’s way of telling us he is terrified of accountability and is hostile to facts and to transparency,” Schumer explained to me.

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst formed a bipartisan IG caucus only ten days ago.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the newly formed group, told ABC News that he expects his Republican colleagues on the panel to take some action.

“We have a group, and it is bipartisan, that is supportive of inspectors general, and I think it is a real test of whether they are willing to let loose an unchecked surge of corruption and waste,” the senator said.

The reaction among Republican senators was mixed.

When asked for a comment, Texas Senator John Cornyn deferred to Grassley.

“I think we just take it one step at a time and try to understand what the rationale was,” he told me.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he believes many of the inspectors general should be replaced and that Trump ultimately has the authority to do so. However, he noted that there may be a procedure that must be followed.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who helped pass legislation in 2022 that strengthened the law requiring administrations to provide detailed reasons for firing an inspector general, expressed frustration with Trump’s move.

“I don’t understand why one would fire individuals whose mission is to root out waste, fraud and abuse,” according to Collins. “So this leaves a gap in what I know is a priority for President Trump, so I don’t understand it.”

Some Republican senators, who have been staunch Trump supporters, praised the firings.

When asked about Trump’s decision to dismiss the inspectors general, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, said he is “all for it.”

“We have to clean house. I mean, if they don’t want this country to move forward,” he said.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said the firings of the inspectors general were “one more example of the lack of respect for the rule of law.”

“He seems to be trying to throw a monkey wrench into the kind of any independence left in our government,” Trump’s opponent Warner said. “The whole idea behind inspector generals is to provide an independent check. Who will fill those positions going forward?”

Later Saturday, the House committees’ top Democrats issued a letter to Trump strongly condemning the firing of several inspectors general.

“Your actions violate the law, attack our democracy, and undermine the safety of the American people,” the activists wrote in a letter.

“Firing inspectors general without due cause is antithetical to good government, undermines the proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and degrades the federal government’s ability to function effectively and efficiently,” the senators said.

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