Government watchdogs fired by Trump sue to get their jobs back

By Katelyn Polantz and Manu Raju, CNN

(CNN) — Eight inspectors general whom Donald Trump fired from their federal agency watchdog posts are suing for their jobs back, adding to the legal scrutiny over Trump’s first weeks of decisions in the White House and raising questions about his political intentions.

They say that Trump shouldn’t have been able to fire them in late January without first notifying Congress and that the White House ignored regulations around their removal that existed to protect them from political interference and retribution.

The administration’s “actions have inflicted substantial damage on the critical oversight ethos of transparency, truth-telling without fear or favor, and respect for the rule of law,” the lawsuit, filed in Washington, DC’s federal court on Wednesday, states.

The lawsuit is the latest among more than four dozen filed in federal courts to challenge swift, early executive actions by the Trump administration. Many of the lawsuits, like Wednesday’s, allege that Trump’s White House is depriving Congress of some of its power. The IG’s case adds to a pile of challenges from government workers the Trump administration has removed from various posts — especially those in independent or non-political roles.

The dismissals also raise questions over Trump and temporary government adviser Elon Musk’s adversarial approach to existing, long-established federal corruption watchdogs, at a time Trump and Musk are dismantling parts of the government, citing in part a desire to root out corruption.

Trump’s dismissal of 18 IGs happened in the first week of his second term, when the watchdogs each received two-sentence emails titled “White House Notification” from the Office of Presidential Personnel. The reason they were given was “changing priorities,” which is not a sufficient reason under the law, their lawsuit claims.

Soon after, the IG’s government email access was shut off, and they couldn’t return to their office buildings.

“Their purported removals were legal nullities, and so they remain the duly appointed IGs of their respective agencies, unless and until the President lawfully removes them in compliance,” attorneys for the eight IGs wrote.

“Plaintiffs’ integrity has been baselessly maligned publicly, with the abrupt and unlawful nature of their purported removals incorrectly implying that plaintiffs have done something wrong when in fact they have each done nothing but uphold the values of their positions and the IG community,” the suit adds.

The IGs allege Trump has told Congress – as is required by law – nothing. The lawsuit instead points out the president commented to the press some IGs “were not doing their job.”

Trump fired a 19th inspector general, the USAID’s watchdog, this week.

The inspectors general, in positions across many government agencies, work to find and prevent waste, fraud and abuse within federal departments. The IGs say their work is non-partisan and ultimately saves taxpayers billions of dollars, protects vulnerable Americans’ rights and safeguards national security, according to the complaint.

Those whom Trump fired include IGs at crucial departments including Defense, Health and Human Services, State and Veterans Affairs who say their work has saved the agencies millions of dollars.

One of the IGs who is suing, Phyllis Fong, had been in her position at the Department of Agriculture for more than 20 years.

After Fong was told she was fired, she continued to go to work, “recognizing that her termination was not effective because it failed to comply with the IG Act’s requirements,” her attorneys wrote, until her federal badge was deactivated and her computer and phone were taken back by the Department of Agriculture.

Several of those who are suing had worked under Trump during his first term in the presidency, and one, Hannibal “Mike” Ware of the Small Business Administration, had been Trump’s nominee for the post in 2018.

Michael Missal, the ousted inspector general for the Department of Veterans Affairs, told CNN’s Erin Burnett Wednesday that he had met with Trump’s transition team ahead of his second inauguration.

There was “no indication they were not happy” with the work his office had done at the agency, Missal, who held the position since May 2016, said on “OutFront.”

Robert Storch, the former inspector general of the Department of Defense, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that the justification of “changing priorities” provided in the termination emails “misperceives the whole role of inspectors general.”

“Administrations come and go, and IGs typically stay on despite change in administrations because the administration is entitled to whatever priorities they want to have,” Storch said on “The Source.” “Whatever their priorities are, we do effective oversight to ensure the taxpayers’ interests are protected.”

The other IGs who are suing are: Christi Grimm of Health and Human Services; Cardell Richardson of the State Department; Sandra Bruce of the Education Department; and Larry Turner of the Department of Labor.

Other ousted officials sue for reinstatement

Officials fired by Trump have brought several lawsuits that will test a president’s power to oust heads of independent agencies.

In one such case, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday the head of a federal ethics watchdog agency whom Trump fired last week can stay on the job while the legal challenge to his termination is further litigated.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson granted the request for a temporary restraining order by Hampton Dellinger, who was confirmed last year as special counsel, after issuing an administrative order earlier this week that briefly paused the termination.

“Independence is essential to any Special Counsel’s ability to perform the unique set of duties and reporting requirements set forth in the statute,” Jackson said in her 27-page opinion Wednesday.

The US Office of Special Counsel is an independent agency distinct from the special counsels appointed to oversee Justice Department investigations.

Cathy Harris, who was chairperson of the independent Merit Systems Protection Board, is also asking the court to reinstate her to her job quickly, as the types of federal workers whose complaints she would have handled are fired across the federal government.

The Merit Systems Protection Board is the primary agency for federal civil servants to lodge complaints, especially about their supervisors in the federal government.

Harris says she received a one-sentence email telling her she was terminated this week. But Harris alleges she can only be removed from her office by the president if she was negligent or malfeasant, and that her seven-year term should end in 2028.

“In flagrant disregard for the clear statutory text, Ms. Harris was purportedly terminated without basis, justification or authority,” her attorneys wrote in the lawsuit. “The MSPB’s ability to protect the civil service is needed now more than ever.”

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn and Tierney Sneed contributed to this report.

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