Donald Trump fires at least dozen internal government watchdogs: Report

US President Donald Trump reportedly fired at least a dozen internal government watchdogs late Friday shortly after returning to office for his second term, reports news agency AFP citing various news platforms.

According to The Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, the White House personnel director sent emails to independent inspectors general of at least 12 federal agencies informing them of their immediate termination.

Inspectors general serve as oversight officials tasked with identifying and preventing fraud, waste and abuse within government operations.

Their responsibilities include investigating breaches of laws, regulations and ethical standards by government staff, whilst also auditing contracts, financial matters and employee performance.

The dismissals affected several federal bodies including the departments of defence, state, interior and energy, along with the Environmental Protection Agency and Social Security Administration, as reported by the Post.

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

Interestingly, The Post said that Trump had appointed most of the dismissed officials during his first term.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported, citing three unnamed sources, that 17 inspectors general were dismissed, with one source indicating the Justice Department's oversight official remained unaffected.

Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren described the dismissals as "a purge... in the middle of the night."

"Inspectors general are charged with rooting out government waste, fraud, abuse, and preventing misconduct," she said in a post on social media platform X.

"President Trump is dismantling checks on his power and paving the way for widespread corruption."
On his first full day in office, Trump revealed plans to remove approximately 1,000 opponents from the US government.

The 78-year-old Republican commenced his second term by issuing multiple executive orders targeting government policies on immigration, citizenship, gender, diversity and climate - several of which face legal challenges.