Trump Replaces Federal Inspectors General with Political Operatives

During the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, the administration appointed a series of inspectors general (IGs) with overtly political backgrounds. Notably, Dennis Kirk—co-author of the conservative “Project 2025” document—was installed as the Interior Department IG to oversee the investigation of the botched repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Other appointees include former Republican congressman Anthony D’Esposito as Labor Department IG and former Capitol Hill lawyer Thomas March Bell as Health and Human Services IG. These officials have directed their agencies’ IG offices toward probing alleged fraud in states such as California, New York, and other Democratic-run jurisdictions, rather than scrutinizing the Trump administration’s own agencies.

Seattle Times

In the first six months of the term, Trump dismissed or demoted at least 20 IGs, part of a broader “mass purge” that also cut staff by up to 30 % in some offices. The reductions left many IG offices without permanent leaders and created a “culture of fear,” according to former IG Michael J. Missal, who warned that appointing loyalists erodes the independence established in 1978.

Seattle Times

Research by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service shows that IGs in cabinet-level agencies issued 15 % fewer audits and 25 % fewer investigative reports in the first half of fiscal year 2026 compared with the five-year average. Five departments each produced at least 30 % fewer audit reports, and five produced at least 30 % fewer investigative reports. “The offices with the largest staffing cuts were also the ones with the largest declines in investigative reports,” noted senior manager Chris Piper.

Seattle Times

A White House spokesperson asserted that the new IGs are “highly qualified and accomplished individuals” tasked with targeting fraud. Former Interior IG Mark Greenblatt called the practice “unimaginable,” arguing that an IG should not act as a “cheerleader for the administration.” Rep. Jared Huffman, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, warned that replacing career professionals with Heritage-trained political operatives “upends” the purpose of independent oversight.

Seattle Times

• “When you have your own IGs, you lose the credibility and integrity of the work. If people think that you’re doing it to support the administration, then the whole concept that was created in 1978 of independent, nonpartisan inspectors general goes away.” — Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesperson

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• “The offices with the largest staffing cuts were also the ones with the largest declines in investigative reports,” — Chris Piper, a senior manager with the group

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• “They laid out the purge of the civil service and the consolidation of these independent entities within the government under executive power, under direct executive power, and then they called for a second step, which was to repopulate all these positions with Heritage-trained political stooges.” — Rep. Jared Huffman, of California, the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee

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