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Why Did Trump Remove 17 Key Watchdogs Overnight? The Details Will Shock You

Trump Ousts 17 Watchdogs in Sweeping Late-Night Purge of Agencies

President Donald Trump dismissed at least 17 independent watchdogs, known as inspectors general, at various federal agencies late Friday, according to persons familiar with the matter.

The discussions about removing these federal watchdogs began upon Trump’s return to the White House.

While the president can dismiss inspectors general, he must communicate with Congress 30 days in advance, and Congress reinforced the legislation in 2022, forcing administrations to provide a specific explanation for terminating an IG.

There isn’t currently a comprehensive list of all the IGs affected, but at least one high-profile watchdog, Justice Department IG Michael Horowitz, did not get notification of his dismissal as of yesterday evening.

Horowitz is an Obama appointee who has produced studies critical of both the Trump and Biden administrations.

The present legislation also requires that any acting IGs come from inside the IG community, but it’s unclear if the Trump administration feels they must obey that provision.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told AWN earlier this week that the president must notify Congress before to removal.

“First and foremost, our Inspector General cannot be removed from office until the president, and that includes all presidents, not just Trump. So there is a message to all of these presidents: you must inform Congress a month in advance of the reasons for their removal,” Grassley added.

He went on: “And the other thing is that inspector generals are expected to be independent of political pressure, independent of the head of the agency, and to make sure that the law is enforced and money spent appropriately, and there shouldn’t be any political pressure against any of his work.”

Grassley stated Saturday that Congress was not given the requisite 30-day notice.

“There might be a solid reason the IGs were sacked. We need to know whether that’s the case. “I’d like more explanation from President Trump,” Grassley stated in a statement to AWN. “Regardless, the 30 day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not provided to Congress.”

In floor remarks Saturday morning, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer chastised the Trump administration for the decision, claiming that the dismissals may violate federal law.

“These firings are Donald Trump’s way of telling us he is terrified of accountability and is hostile to facts and to transparency,” Schumer said to me.

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst formed a bipartisan IG caucus only 10 days ago.

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