HomeTop StoriesTrump fires multiple federal inspectors general in overnight purge

Trump fires multiple federal inspectors general in overnight purge

The Trump administration purged at least a dozen federal inspectors general Friday night, multiple sources confirmed to CBS News. It is an unprecedented step that will likely lead to legal problems.

In a letter to a White House personnel official obtained Saturday by CBS News, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s inspector general said the layoffs are legally questionable and will be challenged.

Mike Ware, who said in the letter that he was among those fired, argued that he “does not believe the actions taken are legally sufficient.”

According to Ware, he and other inspectors general received an email from Sergio Gor, the director of presidential personnel, on Friday informing him that “due to changing priorities, your position as inspector general… is being terminated immediately. “

Ware advised Gor in his letter to contact White House legal counsel to discuss the “proposed course of action” as “we do not believe that the actions taken are legally sufficient to address the President’s appointed, Senate confirmed to fire inspectors general.”

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Federal law requires the White House to give Congress a full month’s warning and case-specific details before firing a federal inspector general.

A source told CBS News that the fired inspectors general included many who were appointed during the first Trump administration.

The White House has not yet commented on the layoffs.

Among those fired was Christi Grimm, the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CBS News confirmed.

Inspectors General are charged with uncovering waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct in federal agencies. They would be tasked with overseeing President Trump’s agencies and appointees.

Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA), a ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, called the firing of the inspectors general “an attack on transparency and accountability, essential ingredients of our democratic form of government.”

“Replacing independent inspectors general with political hacks will harm every American who depends on Social Security, veterans benefits and a fair hearing at the IRS on refunds and audits.”

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Senator Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said in a statement on Saturday that while “there may be a good reason the IGs were fired,” he would like further explanation from Mr. Trump.

“In any event, the detailed 30-day notice of removal required by law has not been provided to Congress,” he added.

In remarks on the Senate floor on Saturday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) described the Trump administration’s actions as a “chilling purge” and called it “a taste of the lawless approach that Donald Trump and his administration follow far too much. often when he becomes president.”

“These firings are Donald Trump’s way of telling us that he fears accountability and is hostile to facts and transparency,” Schumer said. “Inspectors general can be critical to keeping the government honest.”

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