California Senator Adam Schiff has accused former President Donald Trump of violating federal law by firing 18 independent federal watchdogs, known as inspectors general, without proper notification.
Schiff made the statement during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, emphasizing the critical role inspectors general play in maintaining government accountability.
“Yeah, he broke the law. Not just any law, but a law meant to crowd out waste, fraud, and abuse,” Schiff said. He pointed out that federal law mandates a 30-day notice to Congress before dismissing inspectors general, a step Trump allegedly ignored.
The dismissed watchdogs were from several major departments, including State, Defense, Energy, and Transportation, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and Small Business Administration.
These officials are tasked with overseeing federal agencies to prevent waste, fraud, and corruption. Schiff warned that removing these watchdogs undermines government transparency.
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“The American people, if we don’t have good and independent inspector generals, are going to see the swamp refill,” Schiff stated. He further suggested that Trump’s actions might be motivated by personal interests, claiming, “It may be the president’s goal here to remove anyone that’s going to call the public attention to his malfeasance.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham also addressed the issue, acknowledging that Trump technically violated the law but defended his authority to make such decisions. “He won the election. What do you expect him to do, just leave everybody in place in Washington before he got elected?” Graham remarked on CNN.
Graham further supported Trump’s moves, suggesting that they align with his mandate as the elected leader. However, critics argue that such actions eliminate critical layers of accountability and transparency within the federal government.
This isn’t the first time Trump has faced backlash for removing inspectors general. During his first term, he dismissed Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community’s chief watchdog, after Atkinson reported a whistleblower complaint regarding Trump’s communications with Ukraine’s president. That complaint played a central role in Trump’s first impeachment.
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In May 2020, Trump also fired State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, who had sought to investigate then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s involvement in an emergency arms sale to Saudi Arabia.
When questioned about whether he plans to appoint loyalists to these watchdog roles, Trump stated, “We’ll put people in there that will be very good,” but denied knowing anyone specifically for the positions.
