Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Sunday singled out a possible reason Donald Trump chose to fire several inspectors general from major federal agencies, while noting that the president “broke the law.”
Trump on Friday evening reportedly dismissed at least 15 inspectors general from their roles. The firings appear to violate federal legislation that mandates that congressional lawmakers be given 30-day notice of an intent to dismiss inspectors general.
“He broke the law,” Schiff told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And not just any law, but a law meant to crowd out waste, fraud and abuse. And yeah, the remedies Congress has.”
Schiff warned Americans that Trump’s decision to move forward with these dismissals carries risks given the post involves providing independent audits, inspections and investigations of government agencies.
“The American people, if we don’t have good and independent inspector generals, are going to see the swamp refill,” Schiff told NBC’s Kristen Welker.
Schiff cited Trump’s move to launch his own meme coin just a few days before his inauguration, suggesting the president’s goal with these firings could possibly be “to remove anyone that’s going to call the public attention to his malfeasance.”
Schiff was not the only Democrat to blast Trump’s move. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the action amounted to a “chilling purge.”
“This is Donald Trump’s way of telling us he’s terrified of accountability,” Schumer said.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) also said he would like “further explanation from President Trump.”
Trump on Saturday defended his action, telling reporters that firing attorneys general is a “very common thing to do.”
“It’s a first standard thing to do, very much like the U.S. attorneys,” he added.
This is not the first time Trump has fired federal watchdogs. At the end of his first term in office, he fired the attorneys general of five Cabinet departments, prompting Congress to pass a law in 2022 that increased the removal protections for the post.
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It’s unclear whether Trump could face repercussions for failing to provide sufficient notification to Congress.
The email sent to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Inspector General Christi Grimm announcing her ouster on Friday evening referenced the “changing priorities” of the new administration, according to ABC News. Sources told the network the same template was used to dismiss other federal watchdogs.
According to The Washington Post, Trump fired the inspectors general of the departments of Defense, State, Transportation, Labor, Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Energy, Commerce, Treasury and Agriculture. He also dismissed the watchdogs of the Environmental Protection Agency, Small Business Administration and the Social Security Administration.