UNITED STATES NEWS

Trump uses mass firing to remove independent inspectors general at a series of agencies

Jan 25, 2025, 9:32 AM

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, F...

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has fired more than a dozen independent inspectors general at government agencies, a sweeping action to remove oversight of his new administration that some members of Congress are suggesting violated federal oversight laws.

The dismissals began Friday night and were effective immediately, according to a person familiar with the actions who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details that have not been made public. The firings were carried out without giving Congress 30-day notices of removal of inspectors general –- something that even a top Republican said violated the law.

“There may be good reason the IGs were fired. We need to know that if so,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, 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,” said Grassley, R-Iowa.

President Donald Trump was in Las Vegas on Saturday for a speech. The White House press office did not respond to requests for comment.

The role of the modern-day inspector general dates to post-Watergate Washington, when Congress installed offices inside agencies as an independent check against mismanagement and abuse of power. Though inspectors general are presidential appointees, some serve presidents of both parties. All are expected to be nonpartisan.

“Yesterday, in the dark of night, President Trump fired at least 12 independent inspector generals at important federal agencies across the administration,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Saturday on the chamber’s floor. “This is a chilling purge and it’s a preview of the lawless approach Donald Trump and his administration are taking far too often as he’s becoming president.”

Schumer said the dismissals are “possibly in violation of federal law” and help demonstrate that the move “is a glaring sign that it’s a golden age for abuse in government and even corruption.”

The Washington Post, which first reported the firings, said that most were appointees from Trump’s first term. Among those spared in the round of dismissals was Michael Horowitz, the longtime Justice Department inspector general who has issued reports on assorted politically explosive criminal investigations over the past decade.

In December 2019, for instance, Horowitz released a report faulting the FBI for surveillance warrant applications in the investigation into ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. But the report also found that that investigation had been opened for a legitimate purpose and did not find evidence that partisan bias had guided investigative decisions.

Democrats blistered the firings, with Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia, the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, calling it a “coup to overthrow legally protected independent inspectors general.”

Connolly said the dismals constituted “an attack on transparency and accountability, essential ingredients in our democratic form of government.”

He also suggested that the move — coming on just the fourth full day of Trump’s second term — could potentially free up a series of positions that can subsequently be filled with loyalists who are strongly sympathetic to the Trump administration.

“Replacing independent inspectors general with political hacks will harm every American who relies on social security, veterans benefits, and a fair hearing at IRS on refunds and audits,” Connolly said.

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts called Trump’s actions “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,” Warren posted on X. “President Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption.”

Still, Trump has aggressively challenged the authority of independent agency watchdog groups in the past.

In 2020, he replaced multiple key inspectors general, including those leading the Defense Department and intelligence community, as well as the inspector general tapped to chair a special oversight board for the $2.2 trillion economic relief package on the coronavirus.

—-

Weissert reported from Las Vegas. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

United States News

Demonstrators and lawmakers rally against President Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk as they dis...

Associated Press

Forced leaves start for thousands at USAID under a Trump plan to gut the foreign aid agency

WASHINGTON (AP) — Forced leaves began in Washington and worldwide Friday for most employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development, as federal workers associations turned to the courts to try to roll back Trump administration orders that have dismantled most of the agency and U.S.- funded aid programs around the world. Under a Trump […]

42 minutes ago

Associated Press

The Latest: US allies in Europe join ICC against Trump’s sanctions over Israel

The International Criminal Court on Friday called on its member states to stand up against sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump, saying that the move was an attempt to “harm its independent and impartial judicial work.” And the embattled court got plenty of support from traditional U.S. allies in Europe who stood up against the […]

52 minutes ago

Associated Press

2 dead, 3 injured in weather event with ‘possible tornado,’ officials in Tennessee say

WARTBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Two people were killed in eastern Tennessee when severe storms with a possible tornado moved through the region. Local officials announced Friday morning that a mother and daughter from the same household were killed when the storm passed through the Deer Lodge and Sunbright areas of Morgan County on Thursday night. […]

1 hour ago

Tim Andrews smiles as he leaves Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Feb. 1, 2025. (Kate Flo...

Associated Press

New Hampshire man is 2nd person known to be living with a pig kidney

A New Hampshire man fought for the chance at a pig kidney transplant, spending months getting into good enough shape to be part of a small pilot study of a highly experimental treatment. His effort paid off: Tim Andrews, 66, is only the second person known to be living with a pig kidney. Andrews is […]

2 hours ago

Rev. Esteban Rodriguez, who leads Centro Cristiano El Pan de Vida, prays for congregants during a c...

Associated Press

Latino evangelical churches gear up to face possible immigration enforcement in churches

Bishop Ebli De La Rosa says his motto right now is “to prepare for the worst and pray for the best.” De La Rosa, who oversees Church of God of Prophecy congregations in nine southeastern states, says he has had to respond quickly to the Trump administration’s new orders, which have thrown out policies that […]

2 hours ago

AP journalist Reid G. Miller speaks on a phone while sitting barefoot in the mud in a U.N. compound...

Associated Press

Reid G. Miller, longtime AP international correspondent and editor, dies at 90

NEW YORK (AP) — Reid G. Miller, who traveled the planet as an intrepid international correspondent for The Associated Press and developed a reputation as a supportive editor and unswervingly loyal boss during the toughest of breaking-news moments, has died. He was 90. Miller died early Thursday in his sleep at his home in Sarasota, […]

8 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Collins Comfort Masters

Collins Comfort Masters: Your go-to plumbing experts in Arizona

Collins Comfort Masters, a trusted name in HVAC, water and plumbing since 1985, is you go-to plumbers for the residents of Phoenix and the Valley.

...

Schwartz Laser Eye Center

Don’t miss the action with this game-changing procedure

PHOENIX -- The clear lens exchange procedure has emerged as a popular alternative to LASIK eye surgery.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Why a Heating Tune-Up is Essential Before Winter

PHOENIX, AZ — With cooler weather on the horizon, making sure your heating system is prepped and ready can make all the difference in staying comfortable this winter.

Trump uses mass firing to remove independent inspectors general at a series of agencies