US President Donald Trump has fired 17 independent inspectors general across multiple government agencies, a move that has raised concerns about oversight and potential legal violations.
According to a source with knowledge of the matter, the inspectors general were informed of their immediate termination via email from the White House personnel director.
The agencies affected include the Departments of State, Defense, and Transportation. The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment.
The sudden dismissals appear to contradict federal law, which mandates that the president provide both houses of Congress with a 30-day advance notice and justification for removing inspectors general.
These officials are tasked with conducting audits and investigations to identify waste, fraud, and abuse within federal agencies.
The Washington Post, which first reported the dismissals, noted that most of the fired officials were appointees from Trump’s first term in office between 2017 and 2021. However, the inspector general of the Department of Justice, Michael Horowitz, was spared, according to The New York Times.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, strongly criticised Trump’s actions, describing them as a “purge of independent watchdogs in the middle of the night.” In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Warren wrote, “President Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption.”
In contrast, Trump’s ally and former lawyer Sidney Powell defended the move, arguing that the existing inspectors general are ineffective. “They may bring a few minor things to light but accomplish next to nothing,” Powell wrote on X.
“The whole system needs to be revamped! They are toothless and protect the institution instead of the citizens.”
The sweeping dismissals come as Trump, who returned to the presidency on Monday, pushes ahead with efforts to reshape the federal bureaucracy.
His administration has already begun scrapping diversity programs, rescinding job offers, and sidelining more than 150 national security and foreign policy officials.
While politically appointed agency leaders typically change with each administration, inspectors general traditionally serve across different presidencies to maintain independent oversight.
Trump has a history of clashing with inspectors general. In 2020, during his first term, he fired five of them within two months, including the State Department inspector general, who was involved in the investigations that led to Trump’s impeachment proceedings.
The firings are also drawing attention to legal safeguards introduced in 2022 under President Joe Biden’s administration.
These measures were designed to strengthen protections for inspectors general, making it more difficult for a president to replace them with loyalists without providing detailed explanations to Congress.
In a notable parallel, Biden himself dismissed an inspector general in 2023, when the official at the US Railroad Retirement Board was removed following allegations of fostering a hostile work environment.
Boluwatife Enome
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