Trump’s IG Firings Prompt Questions of Whether More Are Coming

President Trump’s recent shakeup of federal watchdogs has questions swirling over whether more inspectors general across the government may be on the chopping block in the coming days.

In less than a week, Trump fired, removed or publicly berated inspectors general across multiple federal agencies, including the oversight official who was tasked last week with overseeing the massive $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package.

Oversight experts and Democrats have protested the president’s inspector general (IG) reorganization, while some of the president’s allies are pushing for further review of current watchdogs.

Tom Fitton, the president of the conservative activist group Judicial Watch, argued that Trump should be able to have watchdogs who reflect the president’s points of view, while claiming that IGs too often protect bureaucracy rather than fight waste, fraud and abuse.

“Every IG should be on the chopping block,” Fitton told The Hill on Wednesday, adding that it doesn’t matter if they were appointed by past Democratic or Republican administrations.

Still, there appears to be confusion whether plans for additional firings were under consideration or in motion.

Some Republican sources say the administration may have as many as seven watchdogs they were looking to remove and replace. Others said they were not sure if that number just reflected the changes Trump has already made since last week.

Some say Trump has already purged the inspectors general he wanted out of office.