Some Senate Republicans defend Trump's firing of 17 inspectors general

By Sarah N. Lynch and David Ljunggren

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Several key U.S. Senate Republicans on Sunday defended President Donald Trump's decision to fire independent government watchdogs across at least 17 federal agencies, even though the move ran afoul of federal law.

"Time and time again, the Supreme Court has said that Congress can't impose restrictions on the president's power to remove officers," Republican Senator Tom Cotton said on "Fox News Sunday".

"Ultimately, these inspectors general serve at the pleasure of the president. He wants new people in there. He wants new people focused on getting out waste and fraud and abuse and reforming these agencies. He has a right to get in there who he wants."

Inspectors general are independent watchdogs tasked with rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. They are nonpartisan, and typically serve in their posts across multiple presidential administrations, regardless of which party controls the White House.

Inspectors general were abruptly fired on Friday evening from agencies such as the Department of Defense and Department of State, despite a legal requirement for the president to notify Congress 30 days in advance and provide a detailed explanation for their removal.

Their removal has raised alarm bells among Democrats and others in the inspectors general community, amid concerns that Trump may try to replace them with loyalists.

"Congress specifically established the authorities and structure of the IGs to safeguard their vital oversight role, by mandating independence under the IG Act," said Hannibal Ware, the Small Business Administration inspector general who chairs an independent entity that oversees the government's inspectors general, in a statement on Saturday.

"Removals inconsistent with the law are a significant threat to the actual and perceived independence of IGs," he added.

With Republicans now controlling both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, however, it could be an uphill battle to convince Trump to reverse his decision to fire them unless he faces pressure to do so from within his own party.

Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union", Republican Senator Lindsey Graham acknowledged that Trump was required to notify Congress and explain his decision to fire inspectors general.

But ultimately, he said, the president was within his rights.

"He won the election. What do you expect him to do - just leave everybody in place in Washington before he got elected?" Graham said.

"These watchdog folks did a pretty lousy job. He wants some new eyes on Washington."

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and David Ljunggren, editing by Ross Colvin and Lisa Shumaker)