Less than a week into his second Presidency, Donald Trump was accused of breaking the law by California Senator Adam Schiff after he fired 18 inspectors general late in the night on Friday, January 24, 2025. Schiff railed against the President in an interview with Meet the Press on Sunday following an admission from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who admitted earlier in the program that Trump “technically broke the law.”
Despite the admission, Graham continued to defend Trump, stating that he believed the President was in the right for secretly firing nearly two dozen inspectors. “I’m not, you know, losing so much sleep that he wants to change the personnel out. I want to ensure he gets off to a good start,” Graham said. “He feels the government hasn’t worked well for the American people. These watchdog folks did a pretty lousy job. He wants some new eyes on Washington. And that makes sense to me.”
Trump violated the Inspector General Act of 1978. The law states that the Office of the Inspector General is responsible for reviewing and dismissing inspectors. Presidents must provide Congress with a 30-day notice and written substantive reasoning for terminating an inspector general prior to removing them from their post. Without any notice, Trump dismissed inspector generals from the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Labor, and the State Department.
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley acknowledged the breach of law but said he could justify the President’s actions as long as he explained the firing. “There may be good reason the IGs were fired. We need to know that if so,” he said. “I’d like further explanation from President Trump. Regardless, the 30-day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not provided to Congress.”
There is no clear pathway for Congress to address the violation of the law. However, Schiff believes they can use their “power of the purse” and threats to block cabinet appointments to hold Trump accountable. “We have the power right now to confirm or not confirm people for Cabinet positions that control agencies or would control agencies whose inspector generals have just been fired,” he said. Despite Schiff’s proposals, both the House and Senate are controlled by the Republican party. Even the most contested cabinet appointee – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth – who had three Republicans vote against his appointment, still managed to get through the screenings.
