An inspector general of the U.S. Department of Agriculture—one of 17 inspectors general summarily fired by President Donald Trump on Jan. 25—was led out of her office on Jan. 27 by police after she refused to leave and said her firing was illegal, Reuters reported. Several news sources called the firings a “Friday night purge.”
Phyllis Fong, a 22-year veteran of the department, told colleagues that she intended to stay after the White House terminated her via email and that she didn’t believe the administration had followed proper protocols, according to Reuters’ sources.
The fired inspectors general included some who were appointed by Trump himself. They served in the Defense Department, State Department, Energy Department, Department of Housing and Urban Development and Department of Veterans Affairs, among other agencies.
In an email to colleagues the day after the summary dismissals, reviewed by Reuters, Fong said the independent Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency deemed the firings illegal. Fong herself served as the first chairperson of CIGIE from 2008 through 2014, according to her biography.
The Inspector General Act of 1978 states that “[a]n inspector general may be removed from office by the president.” The president was supposed to notify Congress 30 days before the termination; a 2022 law changed the requirement to require the president to give “a substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for the removal. That law was passed during the Biden administration as a response to similar inspector general firings by Trump during his first term.
A letter sent to the White House on Jan. 25 by Democratic members of the House Committee Ranking Members said the removals are illegal because “The email terminating at least a dozen government watchdogs failed to provide any legitimate rationale for their firing, as required by law.”
Senate leaders sent a bipartisan letter to the president demanding an explanation, headed by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Illinois). The two senators wrote, “While IGs aren’t immune from committing acts requiring their removal, and they can be removed by the president, the law must be followed. The communication to Congress must contain more than just 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.” They demanded a list of replacement officials.
Recently, the inspector general’s office has been involved in the investigation of avian bird flu outbreaks.
David Murray can be reached at [email protected].
