Fight over Fired Inspectors General Is Fight over Foundations of the Administrative State

Author’s note: This is the first of a two-part series on why President Trump’s firing of executive-agency inspectors general foreshadows a battle to restore constitutional norms — in particular, separation of powers and political accountability — that would threaten the administrative state as it exists after over a century of progressive governance.

Last weekend, President Trump fired most of the inspectors general appointed to executive branch agencies. The purge intensified Monday when, according to the New York Times, former IG office staffers were directed to surrender to their agencies work laptops, phones, parking decals, and ID cards.

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.

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Author’s note: This is the first of a two-part series on why President Trump’s firing of executive-agency inspectors general foreshadows a battle to restore constitutional norms — in particular, separation of powers and political accountability — that would threaten the administrative state as it exists after over a century of progressive governance.

Last weekend, President Trump fired most of the inspectors general appointed to executive branch agencies. The purge intensified Monday when, according to the New York Times, former IG office staffers were directed to surrender to their agencies work laptops, phones, parking decals, and ID cards.

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.