WASHINGTON – A group of inspectors general fired by President Donald Trump last month are suing to be reinstated, asserting he violated federal law by terminating them without notifying Congress and outlining reasons for their ouster.
The former government watchdogs at the Pentagon and departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, State, Education, Labor and Veterans Affairs filed the lawsuit Wednesday. The action came less than three weeks after the officials received emails notifying them of their firings late on the first Friday night after Trump took office.
“The firing of the independent nonpartisan inspectors general was a clear violation of the law,” Michael Missal, former inspector general at the VA, told USA TODAY. “The IG’s are bringing this action for reinstatement so that they can go back to work fighting fraud, waste and abuse on behalf of the American public.”
Tuesday night, the White House fired the inspector general at USAID, the US Agency for International Development, according to a source briefed on the termination. The firing came a day after Paul K. Martin issued a scathing report saying staff cuts and funding pauses at the agency put more than $489 million in food assistance around the world at risk of spoiling.
