In the wake of his firing by President Donald Trump, Hannibal Ware, the former Small Business Administration inspector general, said he and others are examining whether the terminations are lawful and if they pose a danger to American democracy.
Ware was among a group of inspectors general who were dismissed by Trump late Friday. Federal law states that the president must give Congress 30 days' notice of his intent to fire an inspector general before doing so.
"We're looking at what amounts to a threat to democracy, a threat to independent oversight, and a threat to transparency in government," Ware told MSNBC on Monday.
The first-term Trump appointee said the mandated notice to Congress is a "key protection" of the 1978 Inspector General Act and acts as a safeguard for the watchdogs' autonomy.
"You can't decide I'm not going to follow that part of the IG Act, but oh, I'm going to follow the part that allows IGs to have full and unfettered access to all agencies, records, and personnel," Ware said.
"We might as well not have an Inspector General Act at all," he added later.
Ware also accused Trump of removing inspectors general who were not on board with his vision.
"For years, we have been viewed as nonpartisan, nonpolitical," he said. "What's happening right now is historic in that this has never happened before."
According to The Hill, Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who works under the Department of Justice, was not among those terminated.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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