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The shake-up affected a broad swath of the federal government, including the departments of State, Energy, the Interior, Defense and Transportation.
During Trump’s first term, he gutted his administration of independent government watchdogs he saw as disloyal.
An IG conducts investigations and audits into any potential malfeasance, fraud, waste or abuse by a government agency or its personnel, and issues reports and recommendations on its findings. An IG office is intended to operate independently.
Partly in reaction to Trump’s last IG firings, Congress built new guardrails intended to protect them.
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A 2023 law requires the White House to provide substantive rationale for terminating any inspector general.
The firings have prompted concern from some GOP senators, including Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa, a known “watchdog” for IGs, who said Congress wasn’t given the 30 days’ notice from the White House required by federal law.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
Republican senators, including Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, said they were not given any heads-up or explanation for the White House’s decision.
“I haven’t, so I better reserve comment. I’m sure I will,” Thune told CNN.
Other GOP senators expressed concern about the fact that they had not received notice and about the widespread nature of the firings.
“What I do understand is that it is relatively unprecedented in that there was no notice,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said, adding, “I can understand why a new president coming in would want to look critically at the IGs and the role that they have played within the various agencies, but … the summary dismissal of everybody, I think, has raised concerns.”
Pressed on whether she wanted the White House to provide more information, Murkowski said she would trust Grassley to “help lead them through this.”
“There may be good reason the IGs were fired,” Grassley said Saturday in a statement provided by his office.
“We need to know that if so. 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.”
Senator Susan Collins also expressed concern with the firings, arguing that the act of dismissing inspectors general did not match Trump’s stated goal of ending corruption.
“I don’t understand why one would fire individuals whose mission is to root out waste, fraud and abuse. So this leaves a gap in what I know is a priority for President Trump,” the Maine Republican told reporters.
Senator Mike Rounds said the president should have an opportunity to explain his decision.
“I honestly would just be guessing at this point as to what it what it actually entails. So I’ll wait and find out what that means in terms of other people stepping in. Are there deputies that step in? Was it specific to individuals? I just simply don’t have that information,” he said.
“I just heard about it just briefly this morning. I’m sure that there’ll be a discussion of it here, but I do not know what his logic was on it, and I do not know the reasoning. We’ll give him an opportunity to explain that,” the South Dakota Republican added.
Democrats slammed the dismissals, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling the move “a chilling purge” and warning the firings could kick off “a golden age for abuse in government, and even corruption.”
