Inspector General Revolt: IG Group Says Trump’s Mass Firing Unlawful

A group representing federal inspectors general released a letter addressed to the White House rejecting as unlawful President Trump’s mass firing of over a dozen IGs Friday night. The letter was signed by one of the IGs fired by Trump, Mike Ware, who lectured the White House to consult with legal counsel.

The letter cited a law of dubious constitutionality passed by a Democrat-led Congress in 2022 mandating IGs can only be fired when Congress is given thirty days notification of the reasons. Inspectors general are appointed by presidents, subject to Senate confirmation, and are executive branch employees.

Politico reported at least one inspector general plans to report to work Monday (excerpt):

…At least one of the fired inspectors general — the State Department’s Cardell Richardson Sr. — has told staff he plans to show up to work on Monday, arguing that the firings are illegal, according to a person familiar with the situation who requested anonymity to reveal the internal discussions…

…One of the two people briefed on the dismissals said the number is at least a dozen and includes inspectors general at the departments of State, Agriculture, Interior, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Labor and Defense, as well as the Small Business Administration, the Department of Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

…The inspectors general at the Department of Justice, Office of Personnel Management, the Federal Communications Commission, the Export-Import Bank and the Department of Homeland Security remain in place, according to the person.

…Hannibal Ware, the inspector general of the Small Business Administration and leader of a council that represents inspectors general across government, suggested that the removals may be invalid because they appear to violate federal law requiring a 30-day notification to Congress before any watchdogs can be removed.

“I recommend that you reach out to White House Counsel to discuss your intended course of action,” Ware wrote in a letter obtained by POLITICO to Sergio Gor, the director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. “At this point, we do not believe the actions taken are legally sufficient to dismiss Presidentially Appointed, Senate Confirmed Inspectors General.”

SBA IG Ware’s defiant letter was posted by Politico (text below):

NEW: Inspectors general say Trump’s removals may be illegal since they fail to comply with the 2022 law requiring 30 days notice to Congress.

WH will likely argue this is unconstitutional, but this will be a fight.

w/ @meganmesserly @joshgersteinhttps://t.co/j83y9d9tXC pic.twitter.com/XUJgJ9c0A4

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) January 25, 2025

January 24, 2025

Mr. Sergio Gor
Director of Presidential Personnel
The White House

Dear Mr. Gor:

I am writing in response to your email sent to me and other Inspectors General earlier this evening wherein you informed each of us that “due to changing priorities, your position as Inspector General . . . is terminated, effective immediately.”

As Chairperson of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), I recommend that you reach out to White House Counsel to discuss your intended course of action. At this point, we do not believe the actions taken are legally sufficient to dismiss Presidentially Appointed, Senate Confirmed Inspectors General.

Specifically, based upon the 2022 amendments to the Inspector General Act of 1978, the President must notify Congress 30 days prior to removal of an IG and provide “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for such removal. 5 U.S.C. § 403(b), as amended by the section 5202(a) of the Securing Inspector General Independence Act of 2022 (Title LII, Subtitle A, of P.L. 117-263, 136 Stat. 2395, 3222). The requirement to provide the substantive rationale, including detailed and case specific reasons, was added to better enable Congress to engage on and respond to a proposed removal of an Inspector General in order to protect the independence of Inspectors General.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at Hannibal.Ware@sba.gov.

Sincerely,
Hannibal “Mike” Ware
CIGIE Chairperson

Cc:
Rand Paul, Chairman, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affiairs
Gary Peters, Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

James Comer, Chairman, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Gerald Connolly, Ranking Member, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Link to the webpage for the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) headed by Ware.

Ware has spent his career in the federal inspectors general field starting in 1990. He was appointed SBA IG by Trump in 2018.

2018 video of Ware:

A group of nearly two dozen House Democrats, led by Reps. Gerry Connolly (VA) and Jamie Raskin (MD), the respective ranking members of the Oversight and Judiciary Committees, sent a protest letter to President Trump Saturday:

Dear President Trump:

We write to express our grave concern about your recent attempt to unlawfully and arbitrarily remove more than a dozen independent, nonpartisan inspectors general without notice to Congress or the public and in the dead of night. Your actions violate the law, attack our democracy, and undermine the safety of the American people.

Congress established Offices of Inspectors General to independently and objectively hold federal government agencies accountable.1 Independent inspectors general protect Americans’ investments in the federal government and root out waste, fraud and abuse. Congress, in overwhelmingly bipartisan recognition of the value of independent inspectors general to the American people and our democracy, enshrined requirements for legal removal of inspectors general designed to protect their work from political interference and intimidation. Your actions fail to satisfy the legal requirements for lawful removal.

Late in the evening on January 24, 2025, more than a dozen inspectors general received an email informing them that “due to changing priorities” their position was “terminated, effective immediately.”2 The Inspector General Act of 1978, amended in 2022 with broad bipartisan support, requires the President to notify Congress 30 days prior to removal of an inspector general and provide “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for such removal.3 The email terminating the inspectors general fails to provide the required notice and a legitimate rationale, as required by law.

Firing inspectors general without due cause is antithetical to good government, undermines the proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and degrades the federal government’s ability to function effectively and efficiently. We urge you to withdraw your unlawful action and comply with your obligations to the American people.

1 Inspector General Act of 1978.
2 Letter from Hannibal “Mike” Ware, Chairperson, Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, to Sergio Gor, Director of Presidential Personnel, The White House (Jan. 24, 2025).
3 5 U.S.C. § 403(b), as amended by the section 5202(a) of the Securing Inspector General Independence
Act of 2022 (Title LII, Subtitle A, of P.L. 117-263, 136 Stat. 2395, 3222)

Sincerely

Connolly also issued a statement Saturday that indicated he was working with the Inspectors General group to undermine the incoming Trump administration:

Washington, D.C. (January 25, 2025)—Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s firing of inspectors general of at least a dozen federal agencies:

“Trump’s Friday night coup to overthrow legally protected independent inspectors general is an attack on transparency and accountability, essential ingredients in our democratic form of government. Replacing independent inspectors general with political hacks will harm every American who relies on social security, veterans benefits, and a fair hearing at IRS on refunds and audits.”

On January 22, 2025, Ranking Member Connolly and Committee Democrats sent a letter to the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), offering their support in preserving transparency, accountability, and independence within the Inspectors General community.

Connolly’s letter to Ware on Thursday also referenced the sham Ukraine impeachment (excerpt):

We write in support of the critical mission of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) to aid in the establishment and maintenance of a professional, well-trained and highly skilled workforce in the Offices of Inspectors General (OIGs), including conducting independent investigations into allegations of wrongdoing by inspectors general (IGs) and their senior staff. We invite CIGIE to communicate with Committee Democrats if we can be helpful in preserving transparency, accountability, and independence within the IG community. (Bold added.)

…During the first Trump Administration, President Trump removed IGs that enforced transparency and accountability that he found to be inconvenient or that exposed his own abuses of power. For example, President Trump targeted Intelligence Community IG Michael Atkinson after he notified Congress that a whistleblower raised concerns about the President’s conduct on a call with officials from Ukraine. During that call, President Trump threatened to withhold lifesaving security assistance until Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy produced derogatory information about President Trump’s political opponent, Joe Biden. This conduct was the subject of President Trump’s first impeachment.4

CIGIE’s efforts to ensure that IGs implement consistent standards and do not abuse their positions of authority is more important than ever. CIGIE is critical to helping IGs effectively carry out its mission to fight against waste, fraud, and abuse, as well as mismanagement and malfeasance. We look forward to working closely with CIGIE and the entire IG community as you carry out diligent, independent oversight and hold those in power accountable. We invite you to contact the Committee Democrats at any time if you believe your independence is
threatened or undermined.

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the principal oversight committee of the House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X. If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact Committee Democratic staff at (202) 225-5051. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

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