Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) said he’s “absolutely” comfortable with President Trump’s decision to oust more than two dozen inspectors general from various federal agencies.
“Absolutely,” Marshall said in an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday” when asked whether he’s comfortable with that move. He noted that former President Reagan “did basically the same thing.”
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“Look, these inspector generals have lost their way, and this is part of President Trump’s ‘promises made, promises kept.’ He said he was going to drain the swamp. Over the past several years, record amounts of improper payments from the federal government,” Marshall said.
“The inspector generals have turned from a watchdog into somebody who’s protecting the agency. So he’s cleaning house, he’s starting over, and I think it’s a great move,” the senator continued.
Marshall suggested that, like Reagan, Trump could potentially rehire some of the watchdog officials after cleaning house at the agencies.
“Yeah, so there’s no doubt, there are some really good people there. But I think when you sit there and try to sort out the good guys from the bad guys, sometimes you have to let them all go, and then, like President Reagan, maybe you rehire some of them as well,” Marshall said.
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“But we’ll get the reports eventually. But we need people working for the American people, not for the agency.”
Trump fired at least 17 watchdogs at various agencies within the Defense Department, State Department, Energy Department, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Veterans Affairs and others. Those within the Pentagon, State Department and Transportation Department were notified of the termination over email, according to The Washington Post, which was the first to report on the firings.
The Hill is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns NewsNation.
