Inspector General Council Says White House Firing of Government Watchdogs Not Legal

Ware said that the Inspector General Act of 1978 requires the president to notify Congress at least 30 days in advance of dismissal of an inspector general.

Hannibal Mike Ware, Inspector General of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), testifies before the House Committee on Small Business in Washington on July 13, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

President Donald Trump has reportedly dismissed at least a dozen inspectors general—presidentially-appointed watchdogs who oversee government agencies—prompting allegations that the move is illegal, setting up a possible showdown in court over the purported firings.

Hannibal Ware, the inspector general for the Small Business Administration (SBA) and chairperson of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), said in a Jan. 24 letter sent to Sergio Gor, director of presidential personnel at the White House, objecting to a series of dismissal emails Gor had sent to a number of inspector generals—including to Ware.