Republican control hindering congressional response to watchdog dismissals, according to Connolly
In a move that has sparked bipartisan concern, President Donald Trump fired several agency Inspectors General (IGs) last Friday. The official accused the fired IGs of weaponizing the justice system against political enemies and being unfit to serve.
The decision to remove the IGs has been met with criticisms from both sides of the aisle. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who recently launched the bipartisan Inspector General Caucus, expressed her interest in learning more about the removal decision and working with the president to nominate replacements.
However, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., believes that the Republicans in the majority of the House and Senate will not hold Trump accountable for these actions. Connolly encourages the fired IGs to report for duty anyway.
Liz Hempowicz, deputy executive director of American Oversight, is concerned about the potential conflict of interest in replacing IGs with political appointees from within the same agencies. Hempowicz also fears that Trump may flout the acting IG rules as well.
Under a 2022 law, the officials who lead an IG office when there is a vacancy should be IG deputies. However, the search results do not provide specific names of individuals nominated by President Trump to fill vacant IG positions.
The letter written by House committee ranking members, led by Rep. Gerry Connolly, to the White House urges Trump to reverse the IG firings. Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., also sent a letter to Trump requesting the substantive rationale for each IG removal, the names of acting IGs, and that he work quickly to nominate qualified and non-partisan individuals to serve in open positions.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., did not respond to a request for comment regarding the IG firings. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in a Sunday interview with NBC News, acknowledged that Trump 'technically' violated the law by not notifying Congress 30 days ahead of time but was not worried about the IG firings.
In response, a White House official stated that the IG firings will make room for qualified individuals who uphold the rule of law and protect Democracy. However, Connolly has reservations about trusting IG reports under the Trump administration.
American Oversight has filed Freedom of Information Act requests to more than a dozen agencies for any communications regarding the IG firings. The organization aims to shed light on the reasons behind the sudden dismissals and ensure that the proper procedures were followed.
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how Congress will respond to the IG firings and other executive actions. Connolly is not optimistic that the current Congress will respond meaningfully to these events. The bipartisan Inspector General Caucus, led by Sen. Ernst, may play a crucial role in overseeing the nomination process and ensuring that the IG positions are filled by qualified individuals who uphold the integrity of their offices.
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