The Chairperson for Inspector generals has hit back at Donald Trump’s mass firing of government watchdogs, claiming the move is ‘not legally sufficient’ in a strongly-worded letter.
Late Friday night, the newly-minted leader announced the firing of 17 Inspector Generals, sparking major concern on Capitol Hill.
The White House failed to publicly announce the bloodbath or provide any explanation for why it fired the officials who are tasked with evaluating federal departments on issues including the law and use of taxpayer money.
IGs for the departments of defense, state, transportation, veterans affairs, housing and urban development, interior and energy were all let go.
‘It’s a widespread massacre. Whoever Trump puts in now will be viewed as loyalists, and that undermines the entire system,’ one of the unnamed fired agents told the Washington Post.
But soon after Hannibal ‘Mike’ Ware, Chairperson of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, challenged the decision in a thinly-veiled threating letter.
Addressed to Sergio Gor, Head of the Presidential Personnel Office, Ware, wrote: ‘I am writing in response to your email sent to me and other Inspectors General earlier this evening wherein you informed each of us that ‘due to changing priorities, your position as Inspector General . . . is terminated, effective immediately.
‘As Chairperson of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), I recommend that you reach out to White House Counsel to discuss your intended course of action.
President Donald Trump’s administration fired the independent inspectors general of more than a dozen major government agencies late on Friday
‘At this point, we do not believe the actions taken are legally sufficient to dismiss Presidentially Appointed, Senate Confirmed Inspectors General.’
The January 24 document further cites the 2022 amendments to the Inspector General Act of 1978 – which state that the president must notify Congress 30 days prior to removing IGs.
According to the Post, Ware is one of the agents who was fired on Friday night.
Others include Michael Horowitz at the Justice Department who was an appointee of Obama and Mark Lee Greenblatt of the Department of the Interior.
Controversially, Joseph V. Cuffari Jr. of Homeland Security and a President Trump appointee was spared.
Last October, officials confirmed that Cuffari had misled the Senate during his nomination process and committed other misconduct during his five years in office.
Both Republican and Democrat lawmakers were left in disarray and said that the President may have broken a federal law requiring Congress to be given 30-day notice of such firings, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Earlier on Saturday, Democrats from 21 House committees signed a joint letter to defend the independence of the watchdogs and pointed out that removing them without notifying Congress violates the law.
Hannibal ‘Mike’ Ware, Chairperson of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, soon challenged the decisionsaid their firing is ‘not legally sufficient’ in a strongly-worded letter
‘It’s a widespread massacre. Whoever Trump puts in now will be viewed as loyalists, and that undermines the entire system,’ one of the unnamed fired agents said
‘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 letter reads.
‘We urge you to withdraw your unlawful action and comply with your obligations to the American people.’
Senator Elizabeth Warren also took to X to criticize the judgement, claiming President Trump was ‘paving the way for corruption’.
‘It’s a purge of independent watchdogs in the middle of the night. 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,’ she wrote.
Ronald Reagan fired all existing IGs when he took office in 1981, but he later reinstated half of them following an intense backlash.
IG Mark Lee Greenblatt of the Department of the Interior was one of the many who were fired
The White House failed to publicly announce the bloodbath or provide any explanation for why it fired the officials, who are tasked with evaluating federal departments on issues including the law and use of taxpayer money
An inspector general is an independent position that conducts audits, investigations and inspectors into allegations of waste, fraud and abuse.
They can be removed by the president or the agency head, depending on who nominated or appointed them.
While the politically-appointed leaders of agencies and departments come and go with each administration, an IG can stay and serve under multiple presidents.
Some inspectors general are presidential appointees, while others are designated by the heads of their agencies.
They serve indefinite terms and typically span administrations to insulate them from shifts in political winds.
A president can remove them but must notify both chambers of Congress in advance.