Trump’s allies and foes agree that he may have broken federal law

On January 24th, President Donald Trump fired several federal inspector generals. This was a decision that set off alarm bells on both sides of the political aisle and one some even claimed was illegal since the presidency doesn’t have the power to fire those positions. 

Politico spoke with two people familiar with Trump’s decision, which they said removed a layer of accountability from the federal government. Inspectors from a broad range of departments were affected by Trump’s decision, though the issue is very complicated. 

“The ousters set up what will likely be one of Trump’s first major court battles since taking office,” Politico reported. Any court challenge against Trump’s dismissals of 17 inspectors may prove to be a problem for the president. 

Several reports indicated that Trump dismissed the Inspector Generals via email from the White House Presidential Personnel Office, which noted that their dismissal was effective immediately. 

One person familiar with the situation told Politico that the email did not provide any reason or explanation behind the dismissal but added one cited “changing priorities” for the President’s decision.

According to the Inspector General of the Small Business Administration Hannibal Ware, one of the inspectors who was fired and the leader of a council representing Inspector Generals across the federal government, Trump’s move may have been illegal. 

Ware suggested Trump broke federal law when decided to fire 17 Inspector Generals on January 24th because the move violated a federal law requiring the President to provide a 30-day notice to Congress before any Inspector General is removed from office. 

Whether or not Trump broke the law is still being debated. However, high-profile members of Congress on both sides of the political aisle have said that the President may have broken the law when he dismissed several Inspector Generals on January 24th. 

Close Trump ally and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said during an interview with CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ that the President should have provided Congress with the proper 30-day notification, but he also defended Trump’s move. 

“Yeah, he should have done that,” Graham said according to The Hill. “But the question is, is it OK for him to put people in place that he thinks can carry out his agenda? Yeah. He won the election. What do you expect him to do? Just leave everybody in place in Washington before he got elected?

“This makes perfect sense to me,” Graham continued. “Get new people. He feels like the government hasn’t worked very well for the American people. These folks did a pretty lousy job. He wants some new eyes on Washington. That makes sense to me.”

Graham went on to add that Trump wanted to put new people in place, including new inspector generals so that he could implement his agenda, explaining, “that’s just the way it goes when you win an election.”

While speaking with Kristin Welker on ‘Meet the Press’, Graham admitted that Trump “technically” broke the law when pressed on the issue by Welker. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also said Trump’s move was illegal, but he condemned the President’s move. 

“Last Friday, while most Americans were asleep, President Trump conducted a midnight massacre of many of the federal government’s nonpartisan independent watchdogs. The president did not notify Congress of his decision, as is required by law,” Schumer explained in a statement. 

“Instead, the president simply said these positions were ‘terminated, effective immediately.’ This is a chilling, potentially unlawful decision by the president. It’s a reminder that if there’s anything President Trump fears most, it’s accountability,” Schumer added. 

How the situation will play out has yet to be seen but some of those who were removed from their positions said they would return to work despite their dismissal. However, less than a week after the dismissals, the issue seems to have fallen out of the news cycle. 

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