'Do not comply': Inspector general who defied pink slip from Trump escorted out by security

29 January

Last Friday, President Donald Trump fired 17 inspectors general throughout multiple federal agencies. Now, one of the independent federal watchdogs Trump fired is pushing back.

Reuters reported Wednesday that U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector general Phyllis Fong, who is a 22-year veteran of the agency, was recently escorted out of the building by security after she refused to leave her role following Trump's announcement that she had been fired. While Fong didn't directly comment, she sent an email to her colleagues saying that the Independent Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency had "taken the position that these termination notices do not comply with the requirements set out in law and therefore are not effective at this time."

Trump defended the firing of the inspectors general — independent officials within federal agencies who monitor waste, fraud and abuse — by saying it was a "very common thing to do." And the White House argued the president's actions were necessary, saying that "rogue, partisan bureaucrats... have been relieved of their duties in order to make room for qualified individuals who will uphold the rule of law and protect Democracy."

While Trump is able to fire inspectors general and replace them with new appointees, the Inspector General Act of 1974 requires that he first give Congress a 30-day notice that he plans to fire an inspector general, and list a specific cause for their firing. Even Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who is one of Trump's biggest allies in the Senate, co-signed a letter with Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) insisting that the president "immediately" comply with the law.

"While [inspectors general] aren't immune from committing acts that require their removal, and they can be removed by the president, the law must be followed," Grassley and Durbin wrote on Tuesday. "The communication to Congress must contain more than broad and vague statements, rather it must include sufficient facts and details to assure Congress and the public that the termination is due to real concerns about the inspector General's ability to carry out their mission."

Both Grassley and Durbin called on Trump to reinstate the fired inspectors general on an "acting" basis in order to comply with the 30-day waiting period, and requested he appoint "qualified and non-partisan individuals" to replace them. Trump has so far not responded to their letter.

Reuters reported that Fong had been investigating billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk — also a top Trump advisor — over his Neuralink brain implant startup before she was fired. She was also investigating the listeria outbreak at Boar's Head that resulted in tainted meat hitting supermarket delicatessens across the country. She was also overseeing the USDA's response to ongoing bird flu outbreak affecting poultry and eggs.

Click here to read Reuters' report in full.

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