President Trump has fired several Federal Inspector Generals in an overnight purge.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that the Trump administration purged at least a dozen federal inspectors general overnight Friday, multiple sources confirmed to CBS News. It is an unprecedented move that will likely result in legal challenges.
Speaking to reporters abroad Air Force One on his way to Florida, President Trump on Saturday described the firings as “standard” and a “very common thing to do.”
However, the inspector general of the U.S. Small Business Administration said the firings are legally dubious and will be challenged.
Hannibal “Mike” Ware was among those fired. He argued in a letter to a White House personnel official, which was obtained by CBS News on Saturday, that he “does not believe the actions taken are legally sufficient.”
According to Ware, he and other inspectors general were sent an email from Sergio Gor, the director of presidential personnel, on Friday informing them that “due to changing priorities, your position as Inspector General…is terminated, effective immediately.”
Ware, in his letter, recommended Gor reach out to White House legal counsel to discuss the “intended course of action” as “we do not believe the actions taken are legally sufficient to dismiss Presidentially Appointed, Senate Confirmed Inspectors General.”
Federal law requires the White House to give Congress a full month of warning and case-specific details before firing a federal inspector general.
A source told CBS News that the fired inspectors general include many who were appointed during the first Trump administration. Back in 2020, Trump fired five inspector generals.
Ware, who is also the chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, an independent oversight body, said in a separate statement that inspector generals are not “immune from removal.” However, he echoed that unjustified removals are a “significant threat” to the jobs they’re meant to do.
“Congress specifically established the authorities and structure of the IGs to safeguard their vital oversight role, by mandating independence under the IG Act,” he said. “Removals inconsistent with the law are a significant threat to the actual and perceived independence of IGs.”
Ware also noted that Congress recently amended the Inspector General Act to require the president to notify Congress 30 days prior to the removal of an inspector general, as well as requiring a “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons.”
The White House has not commented on the firings.
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 tasked with finding waste, fraud, abuse and misconduct in the federal agencies. They would be tasked with monitoring President Trump’s agencies and appointees.
Mark Greenblatt, who was nominated by Mr. Trump to be inspector general of the Department of the Interior during Mr. Trump’s first term, told CBS News in a phone interview Saturday that he was “stunned” when he received the notification.
When asked why he thinks Mr. Trump fired him and others, he responded: “The most charitable interpretation is that he doesn’t believe in our independence or our fairness. The least charitable interpretation is that he wants lackeys to rubber stamp what he’s trying to do.”
“It’s very bizarre,” Greenblatt added. “There’s no unifying theme as to why he chose this group of 17. It just doesn’t make sense, to be completely honest. It does not make sense. No one can figure out what was driving the list.”
Democratic Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia, who is a ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, called the firings of inspectors general “an attack on transparency and accountability, essential ingredients in our democratic form of government.”
“Replacing independent inspectors general with political hacks will harm every American who relies on social security, veteran benefits and a fair hearing at IRS on refunds and audits.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said in a statement on Saturday that while “there may be a good reason the IGs were fired,” he’d like further explanation from Mr. Trump.
“Regardless, the 30 day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not 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 preview of the lawless approach Donald Trump and his administration are taking far too often as he’s becoming president.”
“These firings are Donald Trump’s way of telling us he is terrified of accountability and is hostile to facts and to transparency,” Schumer said. “Inspectors General can be vital for keeping the government honest.”