[[link removed]]

USDA INSPECTOR GENERAL WHO REFUSED TO LEAVE POST ESCORTED FROM OFFICE
BY SECURITY WAS INVESTIGATING ELON MUSK  
[[link removed]]


 

AJ Dellinger
January 29, 2025
Gizmondo
[[link removed]]


*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ One of those IGs, Phyllis Fong at the US Department of Agriculture,
decided not to leave, believing the order to be illegal. She was
escorted from the building today by security. She was heading an
investigation into Elon Musk's Neuralink. _

Donald Trump appears in front of a banner that reads 'Protect Our
Food' during a campaign appearance at a farm, Sept. 23, 2024, in
Smithton, Pa. (AP Photo // Gizmondo),

 

Last Friday, President Donald Trump purged several agencies of their
inspectors general
[[link removed]],
demanding that at least 17 people in the role immediately turn in
their work laptops and ID badges. One of those IGs, Phyllis Fong at
the US Department of Agriculture, decided not to leave, believing the
order to be illegal. According to a report from Reuters
[[link removed]],
she was escorted from the building today by security.

Fong is a 22-year veteran of the inspector general office with the
USDA. And while that multi-decade career is probably in part why the
Trump administration axed her (something something swamp, something
something career bureaucrat, etc.), she also likely carried among the
most institutional knowledge of IG operations in the federal
government. In 2008, she was named
[[link removed]] the
first Chairperson of the Council of the Inspectors General on
Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and sat on the Recovery
Accountability and Transparency Board that oversaw federal spending
related to disaster relief. Per her biography on the USDA website
[[link removed]], she
was also the recipient of “numerous awards in recognition of her
leadership in enhancing sound financial management practices and
policies in the Federal Government.”

Seems like the kind of person that you’d want around if your whole
thing is eliminating wasteful spending and inefficient operations. Of
course, perhaps there is some other reason that you’d want to sack a
person who is an expert in your stated goals. Maybe, just for
instance, she was heading up an investigation into Neuralink
[[link removed]],
a company run by Elon Musk that is seeking to implant chips into
peoples’ brains. Then maybe you’d fire her as
retribution—hypothetically speaking, that is.

Regardless of why Fong and some of her colleagues were fired, her
position that the axings were illegal seems like it may hold weight.
CIGIE responded to the firings by stating they appeared to violate
federal law, with chairman Hannibal Ware writing
[[link removed]] in
a letter to the White House that “At this point, we do not believe
the actions taken are legally sufficient to dismiss Presidentially
Appointed, Senate Confirmed Inspectors General.” Senator Adam Schiff
has also explicitly called the firings illegal
[[link removed]].
Even Republican Senator Chuck Grassley put out a statement
[[link removed]] urging
the Trump administration to explain the firings and why there was no
30-day notice as required under the law.

Will any of them actually do something about it, though? Thus far, the
Democrats have proven feckless in the face of Trump’s shock and awe
campaign. When confusion over a Trump executive order seemed to lead
to Medicaid portals becoming inaccessible across the country, Dem
leadership announced an emergency meeting
[[link removed]]…for
the next day.

Maybe they’ll get around to trying to reinstate the USDA’s
inspector general next week if they have time. It’s not like the
agency is currently monitoring a bird flu outbreak
[[link removed]] at
the moment or anything. No rush!

* Inspectors General
[[link removed]]
* Donald Trump
[[link removed]]
* Trump 2.0
[[link removed]]
* Resistance 2.0
[[link removed]]
* Elon Musk
[[link removed]]
* United States Department of Agriculture
[[link removed]]
* USDA
[[link removed]]
* Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency
[[link removed]]
* Phyllis Fong
[[link removed]]
* Neuralink
[[link removed]]
* Trump Administration
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]
Manage subscription
[[link removed]]
Visit xxxxxx.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]