![]() In addition to his removal of Linick at the State Department, last month Trump abruptly ousted intelligence community inspector general Michael Atkinson over his handling of a whistleblower complaint that ignited the House’s impeachment effort.ĭays before that, Trump issued a signing statement accompanying a massive coronavirus relief law asserting that he - not Congress - decides whether an inspector general even communicates with lawmakers. Trump has made that clear in ways large and small. The most recent push came in 2008, when Congress passed the IG Reform Act, enshrining new protections, such as a requirement that the president notify lawmakers 30 days before removing an inspector general.īut for the first time, the entire system is being challenged by a president who rejects the notion that these roving internal auditors, who straddle the bright line between Capitol Hill and the Executive Branch, should do anything but answer to him. In fact, Congress has made a series of moves to protect inspectors general in the years since they were established after Watergate. ![]() Their efforts have been cheered by advocacy groups like the Project on Government Oversight, who say protecting IGs from political interference is a crucial aspect of modern checks and balances. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) offered a similar proposal that would also provide for congressional review of IG removals and limit who the president may install as acting replacements when there’s a vacancy.Īnd on Friday, House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) offered a closely related measure that would require “documented” good cause reasons to oust an inspector general. Trump and McConnell’s comments came amid growing calls by Democrats for new measures to restrict Trump’s power to remove these IGs, some of whom have issued stinging reports about administration mismanagement and drawn the president’s fury.Īs part of a sprawling, $3 trillion coronavirus response package, the House recently passed a proposal authored by nearly two dozen committee chairmen that would prohibit Trump from removing inspectors general without “good cause,“ such as incapacitation or malfeasance. “He has the full authority to hire and fire, under the Constitution, anybody in the executive branch,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Other Republicans have picked up Trump’s mantle, arguing that he has unfettered power to oust inspectors general. Trump indicated he didn’t know Linick but agreed to Pompeo’s request to remove him because he was appointed to the post by former President Barack Obama. “Everybody agrees that I have the absolute right to fire the inspector generals,” Trump told reporters after facing questions about his decision to oust State Department IG Steve Linick, who has been reviewing an array of actions by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. His Senate acquittal has left him unrestrained and eager for retribution.ĭemocrats’ pushback reached new decibels in recent days, as Trump claimed “absolute” power to remove inspectors general he dislikes, even if they’re investigating cabinet officials for potential abuses. ![]() Trump has already engaged in extensive stonewalling of House investigations, which led to one of the impeachment articles against him. WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 20: Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) questions Acting Transportation Undersecretary for Policy Joel Szabat, James Owens, acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, as they testify before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee during a hearing on "Highly Automated Vehicles: Federal Perspectives on the Deployment of Safety Technology," on Novemin Washington, DC.
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