Security agents escorted the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) out of her office after she refused to comply with her firing by President Donald Trump.
Phyllis Fong, a 22-year veteran of the department, reportedly earlier informed colleagues of her intention to stay, arguing in an email that Trump’s recent termination orders “do not comply with the requirements set out in law and therefore are not effective at this time.”
The White House defended its termination of Fong and other inspectors general in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“These rogue, partisan bureaucrats who have weaponized the justice system against their political enemies are no longer fit or deserve to serve in their appointed positions, and they have been relieved of their duties in order to make room for qualified individuals who will uphold the rule of law and protect Democracy,” the White House statement stated.
The White House terminated Fong along with 16 other federal inspectors general via email last Friday. The USDA inspector general position carries broad oversight authority within the agency, with jurisdiction over all programs, personnel and operations under the USDA’s umbrella, from farm subsidies to food safety regulations. (RELATED: Sudden Inspector General Firings Raise Legal And Oversight Concerns)
Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Chairman Hannibal Ware wrote in a letter to the White House Friday that the president’s dismissals potentially violated federal law, claiming they lacked the “substantive rationale” required to fire an inspector general.
Ware cited a 2022 amendment to the Inspector General Act (5 U.S. Code §403) requiring the president to notify Congress of an inspector general’s dismissal 30 days in advance, however, President Trump terminated Fong and others “effective immediately.”
“I don’t know them, but some people thought that some were unfair or were not doing the job. It’s a very standard thing to do,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One in defense of the dismissals Sunday. He added that “not all of them” were removed.
Former President George W. Bush nominated Fong as USDA inspector general in 2002 and served until her dismissal Friday, despite remaining in the office until Monday.
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guess she thought she was.more in charge than actually was. would love to have seen her face when she was perp walked out to the sidewalk, good riddance.
I’m sorry but Trump will not leave these agencies un-weaponized , although they may also be left severely crippled and prone to abuses from Trump, unable to deliver on their mission statement.
A lot of the members of “The Swamp” are upset that they will be replaced by folks that WILL do the jobs assigned, rather than just collecting a paycheck for the next 30 years.
AS A TAXPAYER, ‘Thank You” comes to mind