Trump's late-night move to oust more than a dozen inspectors general is getting some blowback from Republicans, who say the actions might have been illegal.
Trump abruptly fired 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.
➡️ Read more: Fired government watchdog: 'So, Friday night I got an email'
The law requires the president give Congress a 30-day notice.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) defended the move, while acknowledging that the president "technically" broke the law.
"He should have [given Congress notice]," Graham said on CNN's "State of the Union." "But the question is, is it OK for him to put people in place that he thinks can carry out his agenda? Yeah. He won the election."
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a key swing vote in the Senate, said she was baffled by the move.
"I don't understand why one would fire individuals whose mission it is to root out waste, fraud and abuse."
Former Small Business Administration Inspector General Mike Ware told MSNBC's Ana Cabrera:
"We're looking at what amounts to a threat to democracy, a threat to independent oversight, and a threat to transparency in government."
Trump is also getting pushback from within his own party for cutting the government-provided security details from some his critics and former officials who have fallen out of favor.
Among those who have lost their security detail: Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former national security adviser John Bolton, and Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
• Pompeo and Bolton have faced threats from Iran.
• Graham said the Senate should investigate Trump's decision to pull Bolton's security.
• Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) called on Trump to "revisit the decision."
• "Iran is committed to vengeance against all of these people," Cotton told "Fox News Sunday."
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