inspector general

An inspector general is an official charged with conducting independent audits and investigations of waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct within a government agency. Established for most major federal agencies by the Inspector General Act of 1978, inspectors general report both to the agency head and to Congress, and the law was amended to require the president to give Congress 30 days’ advance notice, with case-specific reasons, before removing one. In January 2025, Donald Trump fired 17 inspectors general without providing the statutorily required notice or reasons, an action legal experts across the spectrum described as unlawful.