President Donald Trump dismissed 17 independent watchdogs from various federal agencies late Friday, a Trump administration official confirmed to Fox News, as part of his rapid efforts to reshape the federal government. The inspectors general removed include those serving at the Defense Department, State Department, Energy Department, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Veterans Affairs, and other agencies.
According to The Washington Post, the White House Presidential Personnel Office communicated the dismissals via email. “It’s a widespread massacre,” one of the terminated inspectors general told the Post. “Whoever Trump puts in now will be viewed as loyalists, and that undermines the entire system.” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, expressed concern that Trump’s actions might violate federal law, which mandates the president provide Congress with 30 days’ notice before dismissing an independent watchdog, according to the Associated Press.
“There may be good reason the IGs were fired. We need to know that if so,” Grassley said in a statement. “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.” Inspectors general at federal agencies are tasked with investigating waste, fraud, and abuse within the government. Operating independently, they often serve across multiple administrations.
The mass firing marks President Trump’s latest move to assert control over the federal bureaucracy. Following actions that included shutting down diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, rescinding job offers, and sidelining more than 150 national security and foreign policy officials, Trump has made clear his intent to purge government opponents of his agenda. His second term has been defined by efforts to replace dissenters with officials who will execute his policies without hesitation, Fox News reported.
According to The New York Times, Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz was among the few spared from President Trump’s sweeping dismissals. Horowitz previously led the investigation into the FBI’s Russian collusion probe, uncovering at least 17 “significant inaccuracies and omissions” in the FBI’s FISA warrant application during the “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation.
In his first term, Trump dismissed five inspectors general within two months in 2020. This included the State Department’s inspector general, who played a role in the president’s impeachment proceedings.
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