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Trump delivers remarks in Las Vegas; Pete Hegseth sworn in as defense secretary
Some Senate Republicans today were unbothered by Trump’s ousting of at least 12 inspectors general late last night without the proper notification of Congress. Several GOP senators defended Trump’s actions, arguing that the president has the power to fire whoever he would like.
“[Trump’s] the boss. I mean, they vetted every one of them. They understood—he understands what he’s doing,” Senator Tuberville, R-Ala., said, adding that he has not spoken to President Trump about this. “We need a clean house. I mean, if they’re not for this country, they need to move on down the road.”
By law, Presidents are required to give Congress a 30-day notification of their intent to fire an inspector general, and the White House must also provide substantive reasons for why the inspector general was terminated.
Senators were still not clear on who was actually fired, with several saying they had learned the news from media reports, and had not heard about it from the Trump Administration, including Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Some Republicans, like Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who has previously advocated for the protection of inspectors general, told reporters they needed time to digest the news before commenting.
“I heard it, I have not looked at it, and I don’t know what it all entails. So, I honestly would just be guessing at this point as to what it what it actually entails. So, I’ll wait and find out what that means in terms of other people stepping in. Are there deputies that step in? Was it specific to individuals? I just simply don’t have that information,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said.
“I do not know what [Trump’s] logic was on it, and I do not know the reasoning. We’ll give him an opportunity to explain that,” he added.
The only Senate Republican who seemed skeptical about Trump’s actions was Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Collins was also cosponsor of legislation passed in 2023 to protect inspectors general from undue terminations.
“I don’t understand why one would fire individuals whose mission is to root out waste, fraud and abuse. So, this leaves a gap in what I know is a priority for President Trump, so I don’t understand that.” Collins said.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a member of the bipartisan Inspector General caucus, launched just over a week ago by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said his Republican colleagues are still grappling with how to proceed, given concerns about possible blowback from Trump.
“It’s wrong, it’s illegal. But the question is, who could enforce it?” Blumenthal said when asked what Congress can do.
“I don’t know whether members of Congress have standing or someone in the public. But the bigger point is what we will do to stop President Trump from riding roughshod over a means of scrutiny that is essential to rooting out waste and fraud, and we really need to be bipartisan in that effort,” he added.
President Trump delivered remarks in Las Vegas today, where he addressed a crowd of supporters and outlined his plans for the upcoming year. In a surprising turn of events, Trump also announced that Fox News host Pete Hegseth has been sworn in as the new defense secretary, replacing Mark Esper.
Hegseth, a vocal supporter of the president, has often been seen as a potential candidate for a role in the Trump administration. His appointment comes as a surprise to many, but Trump praised Hegseth for his loyalty and dedication to the country.
The new defense secretary wasted no time in getting to work, outlining his priorities for the department and vowing to support Trump’s agenda. It remains to be seen how Hegseth’s appointment will impact the defense department, but one thing is for certain – it’s a new era in Washington.
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