'It's a Widespread Massacre': Trump Reportedly Purges At Least a Dozen Inspectors General

U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly fired at least a dozen inspectors general at various federal agencies late Friday, according to multiple news outlets, in a move that may run afoul of federal law.

Outlets are listing different numbers for how many inspectors general—independent government watchdogs who conduct objective audits and seek to prevent abuse and waste—were terminated.

The New York Times reported at least 12 inspectors general were dismissed, citing "three people with knowledge of the matter"—but noted that as of Saturday morning, there were competing lists circulating about how many inspector generals had been notified of their termination. Other outlets, like Reuters and The Washington Post, put the count higher, citing unnamed sources.

Also according to the Times, "on Saturday morning, a White House official confirmed that 'some' inspectors general had been dismissed, but did not respond to a request for a list of those who had been terminated."

In response to the news, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote on X: "It's a purge of independent watchdogs in the middle of the night. Inspectors general are charged with rooting out government waste, fraud, abuse, and preventing misconduct. President Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption."

The firings appear to violate federal law, which stipulates that the president must give Congress 30 days advance notice of intent to remove an inspector general, along with the reason for the removal, according to both the Times and the Post.

"It's a widespread massacre," one of the fired inspectors general told the Post. "Whoever Trump puts in now will be viewed as loyalists, and that undermines the entire system."

Hannibal Ware, chairperson of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, cast doubt on the legality of the firings in a Friday letter sent to Sergio Gor, director of the Presidential Personnel Office.

"I recommend that you reach out to White House Counsel to discuss your intended course of action. At this point, we do not believe the actions taken are legally sufficient to dismiss presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed inspectors general," Ware wrote in the letter, which was reported on by multiple outlets.

"White House will likely argue this is unconstitutional, but this will be a fight," wrote Kyle Cheney, a reporter at Politico, on X.

According to the Post, inspectors general who were ousted oversaw some of the federal government's largest agencies, including: The Defense Department, the State Department, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and others.

The news also engendered criticism from the watchdog group Public Citizen.

Jon Golinger, Public Citizen's democracy advocate, called the administration's actions "a watchdog wipeout cooked up by corporate lobbyists that knock down the walls that keep corruption from running rampant."

"Replacing nonpartisan, independent inspectors general with loyal political cronies opens the door to more government fraud, waste, and abuse," he said in a statement Saturday.