US President Donald Trump fired 17 independent observers from several government agencies on Friday, a person familiar with the matter said, removing a key component of oversight and clearing the way for loyalists to replace them, The Washington Post reported.
The agency's inspector generals, including the State, Defense and Transportation departments, were notified by email by the White House chief of staff that they were fired immediately, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The firings appear to violate a federal law that requires the president to notify both houses of Congress within 30 days of the reasons for the firings. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The inspector general is an independent office that conducts audits and investigations into waste, fraud and on allegations of abuse of power.
The agencies are moving forward on orders from Trump, who returned to the presidency on Monday, to overhaul the federal bureaucracy by eliminating diversity programs, rescinding job offers and firing more than 150 national security and foreign policy officials.
