The Trump administration, in a late night purge, informed the inspectors general of at least 12 top federal agencies that they have been fired in what one official called a "massacre" and a Democratic senator said paves the "way for widespread corruption."
The Washington Post, which first reported on the firings, said the expulsions could clear the way for President Donald Trump to install loyalists to be in charge of identifying fraud, waste and abuse.
But some sources said 17 inspectors general were removed, according to the New York Times, which said a White House spokesman would not comment on the record and did not respond to a request for a list of those ousted.
The inspectors general received emails from the White House personnel director informing them that they had been terminated, the Washington Post reported.
"It's a widespread massacre," one of the inspectors general told the publication. "Whoever Trump puts in now will be viewed as loyalists, and that undermines the entire system."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said the purge "in the middle of the night" involved officials involved in "preventing misconduct."
"President Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption," Warren said on X.
One inspector general who was booted learned of his fate while being asked about the dismissals by the Washington Post.
The person said the Trump administration "does not want anyone in this role who is going to be independent."
The report said the oustings appear to violate federal law.
Congress requires 30 days notice of any plan to fire a Senate-confirmed inspector general.
The firings took place at some of the government's most high-profile agencies - the departments of Defense, State, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Energy, Commerce and Agriculture, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, Small Business Administration and the Social Security Administration, the Washington Post said.
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