Friend,

Late at night, on the first Friday of his new administration, President Trump fired 17 Inspectors General. That’s a red alert that the President is using the powers of his office to break the law.

Inspectors General play a key oversight role. They serve as independent watchdogs within federal agencies, rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse.

In the wake of President Nixon’s Watergate scandal, Congress passed the Inspector General Act with bipartisan support to shine a light on government misconduct. That law prohibits Presidents from firing these watchdogs without providing 30 days' notice and a “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for the firing. Trump did neither.

Of course, Trump claimed that the mass firing of Inspectors General is a “very standard thing to do.” That is a lie. As nonpartisan officials, these watchdogs historically retain their positions when a new president is elected. In fact, they are credible monitors precisely because they maintain some independence from the President.

It’s hard to imagine a more brazen move by a President intent on misusing his office. As my colleagues and I made clear in a recent letter to the President, this is antithetical to good government. Without these embedded Inspectors General keeping an eye out for corruption and fraud, the oversight responsibility of Congress will be more important than ever. My Democratic colleagues and I won’t shy away from that task.

— Jim

Paid for by Himes for Congress

Himes for Congress
857 Post Road
#312
Fairfield, CT 06824
United States

If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe: [link removed] .