Donald Trump Fires Independent Inspectors General at a Series of Agencies.

(VOR News) – Certain Congressional members have alleged that the Donald Trump administration dismissed approximately 17 independent inspectors general from various government agencies to eliminate oversight of his administration, claiming breaches of federal oversight statutes.

The terminations commenced on Friday evening and were swiftly concluded, as reported by two informed sources. They concealed their identities while deliberating on unidentified substances.

Neither party confirmed the exact number of dismissals; nevertheless, one of the terminated inspectors general indicated in an email that “approximately 17” workers had been dismissed.

Donald Trump was not given thirty days’ notice of the deletions.

“The Inspector General may have had a good reason to be dismissive.” “We need to find out if that is the case,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, who leads the Senate Judiciary Committee. I am looking for more information from President Donald Trump. Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, said, “However, Congress did not get the required thirty-day notice about the removal.”

On Saturday, the White House did not reply right away. President Donald Trump promised again to eliminate federal tip taxes in Las Vegas. These events happened during the president’s first week back at the White House when he was starting several changes in government agencies.

Donald Trump has proposed getting rid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and letting states handle disaster recovery on their own. He also wants to use executive orders to limit programs focused on diversity, fairness, and inclusion, as well as to freeze job hiring.

The contemporary inspector general role was instituted in Washington after Watergate, when Congress created inspector general offices within departments to provide impartial oversight of power misuse and ineffective management.

Although appointed by the president, certain inspectors typically serve under multiple political governments. All individuals are expected to demonstrate impartiality.

On the Senate floor Saturday, New York Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, stated that President Donald Trump dismissed at least 12 independent inspectors general from essential government departments on Friday night.

“This is a troubling purge and a warning sign of the erratic strategies sometimes utilized by Donald Trump and his administration as he centralizes authority.” Schumer stated, “The terminations may violate federal law and suggest that this action reflects a significant period of governmental misconduct and possible corruption.”

According to the Washington Post, which initially reported the dismissals, many were appointed during Donald Trump first term. Inspectors general from the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, and Education were reportedly dismissed.

Michael Horowitz, the seasoned Inspector General of the Justice Department, who has authored reports on several politically sensitive criminal investigations in the past decade, was not among those dismissed.

In December 2019, Horowitz released a report that analyzed the FBI’s utilization of surveillance warrants and investigated potential connections between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. The analysis concluded that the investigation commenced legally and found no evidence of party bias affecting the decisions made during the process.

The resignations of Donald Trump infuriated Democrats.

Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, emphasized the importance of inspectors general in eradicating fraud, waste, and abuse within the federal government. She described the mass firings as “alarming.”

Representative Gerald Connolly of Virginia, a Democrat and prominent member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, characterized it as a “coup to dismantle legally protected independent inspectors general.”

The event, occurring on the fourth full day of Trump’s second term, may create multiple opportunities for Donald Trump supporters to subsequently fill, he stated.

According to Connolly, “All Americans reliant on social security, veterans’ benefits, and equitable hearings at the IRS regarding refunds and audits will be adversely affected if independent inspectors general are substituted with politically motivated individuals.”

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, called Trump’s moves “a purge of independent watchdogs in the dead of night.”

Warren said on X “the responsibilities of inspectors general encompass preventing misconduct and eliminating government waste, fraud, and abuse.” “President Trump is undermining constraints on his authority and fostering widespread corruption.”

Trump already disputed independent agency review committees’ legitimacy.

He succeeded the inspector general who headed a special monitoring board for the $2.2 trillion economic relief package linked to the coronavirus in 2020, along with many other important inspectors general, including those in charge of the Defense Department and intelligence community.

SOURCE: USN

SEE ALSO:

United Airlines Flight Returns From Nigeria to US After ‘Unexpected Aircraft Movement.’

Trump Supports Abolishing FEMA Ahead of the California Fire Site Visit.