President Trump summarily dismissed 17 agency inspectors general Friday night in a move that caught official Washington by surprise.
The inspectors general were dismissed via emails from the White House Presidential Personnel Office, with no notice sent to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who have pledged bipartisan support for the watchdogs, in advance of the firings, the person said. The emails gave no substantive explanation for the dismissals, with at least one citing “changing priorities” for the move, the person added.
A senior White House official confirmed to POLITICO that “some” inspectors general had been fired.
The known firings include the IGs of the departments of State, Agriculture, Interior, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Labor, and Defense, as well as the Small Business Administration, the US Energy Corporation, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The inspectors general are allegedly independent of the administration and are supposed to root out fraud, waste, abuse, and lawbreaking. The reality is much more checkered.