Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley said he is seeking “further explanation” from President Donald Trump after at least a dozen inspectors general from multiple federal agencies were fired in a late-night purge, according to reporting from the Washington Post and The New York Times.
Grassley, a Republican and longtime proponent of inspectors general, said there was no notice provided to Congress on the reported firings. Federal law requires the president give Congress 30 days notice of his intent to dismiss IGs.
said in a post on X in response to the Post’s report.
In 2020: CNN reported that Trump had done a number of late-night inspector general firings, as he sought to rid his administration of government watchdogs he viewed as loyalists to former President Barack Obama.
Partly in reaction to those firings, Congress built new guardrails intended to protect inspectors general. A law now requires the White House to provide substantive rationale for terminating any inspector general.
CNN’s Morgan Rimmer contributed reporting.
This post has been updated with statements from Grassley and Schumer.
