Fired US inspectors general sue Trump administration for dismissals

WASHINGTON

Eight former US inspectors general, who were fired last month by President Donald Trump, have filed a lawsuit challenging their removals, citing violations of federal law, according to reports Wednesday.

“The purported firings violated unambiguous federal statutes — each enacted by bipartisan majorities in Congress and signed into law by the president — to protect inspectors general from precisely this sort of interference with the discharge of their critical, nonpartisan duties,” the New York Times quoted the complaint.

The lawsuit requests a judicial declaration that the firings were illegal, the reinstatement of the plaintiffs and back pay.

“The firing of the independent, nonpartisan inspectors general was a clear violation of the law,” said Michael J. Missal, former inspector general of the Department of Veterans Affairs, one of eight fired and who helped organize the lawsuit.

Among those suing are former inspectors general from the defense, state, education, and agriculture departments. The lawsuit highlights that the 1978 Inspector General Act, strengthened by a 2022 law, mandates a 30-day notice to Congress with a detailed explanation before removals.

The case follows reports that the Trump administration fired USAID Inspector General Paul K. Martin, one day after he published a critical report on the administration’s foreign aid policies.

WASHINGTON

The lawsuit requests a judicial declaration that the firings were illegal, the reinstatement of the plaintiffs and back pay.

The case follows reports that the Trump administration fired USAID Inspector General Paul K. Martin, one day after he published a critical report on the administration’s foreign aid policies.